All of the Falcons stood and most interlocked arms during the national anthem before playing the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Seven players -- long snapper Josh Harris, punter Matt Bosher, kicker Matt Bryant, center Alex Mack, fullback Derrick Coleman, tackle Jake Matthews and left guard Andy Levitre -- stood off to the left end of the line and did not lock arms. Levitre stood with hand over his chest.
Six players from Buffalo, including running back Mike Tolbert of Douglasville, kneeled during the national anthem. Defensive tackle Jerel Worthy, wide receiver Kaelin Clay, cornerback Shareece Wright, running back Taiwan Jones and defensive tackle Cedric Thornton also knelt. Running back Leonard Johnson stood with those players who kneeled for Buffalo.
Players around the NFL have been kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and racial injustices. The protest were started by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
The protests increased after recent comments by President Donald Trump. Last week, Trump called for the NFL to fire the kneeling players for disrespecting the flag and the nation and called those players “sons of bitches.”
Falcons Dontari Poe and Grady Jarrett knelt during the national anthem last week in Detroit, but did not on Sunday.
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