Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said Wednesday that the reaction to him kneeling during the national anthem has been strong - both ways.
“It’s been mixed, which is what you expect,” Jarrett said on Wednesday. “It is what it is. I’m just moving on.”
Jarrett is not planning to kneel when the Falcons play the Buffalo Bills at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“We all had a conversation with the leaders of the team,” Jarrett said. “We addressed what we needed to address in-house. Going forward, whatever we come to a conclusion as a total brotherhood, we’re all in. We’ve been all in, but as a point of clarification, that is definitely where we are.
Most members of the Falcons linked arms during the national anthem before Sunday’s game at the Detroit Lions. Dontari Poe and Jarrett also knelt as part of the line. Several players have knelt during the national anthem in protest over racism and police brutality. However, nearly 200 players protested last week after President Donald Trump called those who knelt sons of bitches and demanding they be fired.
Here’s what Jarrett had to say on football related matters:
On being 3-0: "We've been doing a really good job of finishing. Staying in it all the way to the end. Being in league and being in this division, there a lot of tough games ahead of us. It gives us a confidence boost know that we can go in and finished game."
On Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor: He does a wonderful job as far as being mobile and having a good arm as well. He'll keep plays alive. You can rarely get him down on your first try. You just have to continue to pursue. When he's one-on-one with a guy, it's hard to get him down especially when there is space. Him, Shady (running back LeSean McCoy), there are lot of guys up there who can make big plays. That's definitely something that we'll take into account."
On if McCoy has lost a step: "He looks impressive to me. He looks fast, quick and strong. It doesn't take nothing but a blowout game to elevate yourself. Numbers can be misleading some times. He definitely looks explosive and fast. They definitely want to feature him in many ways and we want to prepare for that."
