ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Broncos head coach Vance Joseph broached the subject directly and succinctly during the team’s Saturday night meeting. He told his players he supported them. He encouraged them to stick together and emphasized a focus on the game ahead, against Buffalo. And however they wished to address the matter after the game, he told them, he would have their backs.
Thirty-two Broncos players took a knee during the national anthem Sunday before their loss to the Bills. Inside linebacker Brandon Marshall, who knelt for seven games in protest last season, was a sounding board for many them, as teammates sought his opinion and informed him of their decision.
Then, just before kickoff, Marshall told his coach of the plan: Players were going to take a knee as a direct response to President Donald Trump’s comments calling out NFL players who protested.
“The fact that he would say that someone should be fired for exercising their first-amendment right — it’s part of the constitution, so why should someone be fired or taken off the field because of it,” Marshall said. “It’s utterly ridiculous and obviously we all focused on the game, but we decided to just do a demonstration. We came up short in the game, but that had nothing to do with it.”
Star outside linebacker Von Miller joined the Broncos’ demonstration, and knelt alongside Marshall, with their arms locked for a show of unity.
“Me and my teammates, we felt like President Trump’s speech was an assault on our most cherished right, freedom of speech,” Miller said. “And collectively, we felt like we had to do something for this game. If not any other game — not in the past, not in the future — at this moment in time, we felt like as a team that we had to do something. We couldn’t just let things go.
“I have a huge respect for the military and our protective services. I’ve been to Afghanistan. I’ve met real-life superheroes. It wasn’t any disrespect to them. It was for my brothers that had been attacked for things that they do during the game. I felt like I had to join them.
“I felt like it was an attack on the National Football League as well. You know, he went on and talked about ratings. This is my life, and I love everything about the National Football League. … I try to keep out any politics or social issues and just try to play ball. But I feel like it was an attack on us.”
Defensive end Adam Gotsis, who is white, joined them too. Kicker Brandon McManus placed his hand on the shoulder of guard Max Garcia, who knelt. And rookie tackle Garett Bolles did the same with Miller kneeling next to him.
“I love this country. I love the men and women that fight for this country,” Bolles said. “But I don’t stand up for inequality. I don’t support that at all. I support my teammates in their decision, and that’s what it is. So whatever they do, I’m going to respect them and I’m going to support them, but I’m going to stand up for this country because that’s what I believe in.”
Outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett and tight end Virgil Green, whose father served in the military, both stood with their fists raised in the air.
Quarterback Trevor Siemian stood, too, and said after the game that he supported his teammates who took a knee “110 percent.”
“They know that I have their back, and they have every right to do what their doing and I support those guys,” he said. “I’ve said it before, it’s a special group and so many of those guys are positive agents for change in the community. You see them everywhere and it is an honor to be their teammate.”
There were a few boos from the crowd at New Era Field, but the stadium of with navy blue and a bit of orange remained so for the game’s entirety.
In the 48 hours since Trump called on NFL owners to fire “son of a bitch” national anthem protesters, then doubled down on his stance via social media, league executives, team owners, coaches and players responded with strong comments in support of their game and their athletes.
Broncos president/CEO Joe Ellis released a statement Saturday night to reiterate the team’s backing of its players and “admiration for their dedication to making our team the absolute best it can be.” General manager John Elway spoke to Joseph on Saturday and was involved in the team’s handling of the matter internally.
Buffalo Bills players, along with coaches, staff and ownership, also convened Saturday for an open discussion. Like the Broncos, many Bills players took a knee, with their arms locked. Some stood with their hand over their heart. Some raised their fists.
Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander took a knee and said Trump’s comments bordered on racism.
“For me, the backdrop being Charlottesville and calling Neo-Nazi’s and KKK members ‘fine people,’ ” Alexander said. “Then making the comparison and drawing a hard line versus NFL players doing something peaceful. That really touched me because the guys that are taking the knee are trying to bring social awareness to the injustice and inequalities in this country. That doesn’t mean that they’re not patriots or they don’t love their country, because we do.”
Over the past year, as many have taken Colin Kaepernick’s lead and knelt for the national anthem in protest of social injustice and police brutality, not all players across NFL locker rooms have agreed with the protests.
Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe was among those who stood for the anthem Sunday. He’s made it clear he believes in standing out of respect for service men and women. But he’s also offered his support to teammates who decided to protest.
“All the violence and all the protests that are going on, I feel like people really need to just sit down and listen to each other,” Wolfe said. “Just listen to what each other has to say and then maybe we can come up with a plan to make everybody happy. But that’s probably not going to happen. Because it’s impossible to make everybody happy.
In regards to Trump, Wolfe said the president’s comments didn’t surprise him.
“I expected him to be doing stuff like that,” said Wolfe, who has expressed his support of Trump. “I thought he was going to be a great leader. I thought he was going to be able to put people in place to do their job right and get things done. I thought that was the problem with the leadership of the country, that we weren’t putting the people in the right places to get the jobs done that needed to be done. And I thought they were going to give me a little tax break. That’s not happening. I’m really disappointed by the way he’s been acting. That’s just the way it is. I was disappointed with the way Obama had been acting. You’re going to be disappointed with the president. That’s just the way it is.”
