Steelers Players Stay In Locker Room During Anthem
Nearly all of the Pittsburgh Steelers players stayed in the locker room during the national anthem prior to Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
Only the Steelers coaches, including head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Todd Haley, were on the sideline during the national anthem. Steelers offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva, an Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan, stood just outside of the tunnel entrance to the field, not on the sidelines during the anthem.
Tomlin told NFL Network's Stacey Dales that the players were planning to take part in a unification meeting in the locker room before the game. Dales reported Tomlin met with the players Saturday and the team also held a players-only meeting to discuss what they wanted to do.
Dales notes in the NFL rulebook it states a team could be fined if they are not on the field. However, a league source told NFL Network Insider that the Steelers will not be fined by the NFL.
The decision comes a day after the NFL, the NFL Players Association and team owners and CEOs responded to President Trump stating Friday that team owners should fire players who fail to stand for the national anthem prior to games.
Speaking on NFL GameDay Morning, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo said he expected to see widespread protests at games.
"Based on the conversations I had yesterday with players, team officials, agents, everybody ... you're going to see mass protests on the sideline," Garafolo said. "You are going to see full-team protests, coaches included. For the first time, we have not seen that."
Players on the Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens sidelines linked arms and some took a knee during the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before the start of Sunday's game at Wembley Stadium in London.
