The Green Bay Packers stayed in the team locker room during the pregame anthems Sunday, September 13, 2020.
A reporter tweeted the news Sunday morning.
“Instead of a roll call of who’s sitting or standing, they want to keep the focus on the issues and actions they’re taking to create real change,” Tom Pelissero tweeted.
The national anthem and Black national anthem were played before the Packers opened the season against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
“The Green Bay Packers respect the national anthem and United States flag and all that they represent, including the right to express ourselves,” team President and CEO Mark Murphy said in a released statement. “We decided as a team to remain in the locker room during the playing of the national anthem and ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ so as to not distract from our message that we stand united for social justice and racial equality.”
The Packers have spoken out for social justice after the killing of George Floyd.
The team also canceled a practice in solidarity with other NFL teams after the Kenosha police shooting of Jacob Blake.
“This is part of our continued call on our leaders to engage in meaningful dialogue that results in change,” Murphy’s statement read. “We feel it is important for all of us to participate in these difficult conversations with humility and be open to different perspectives.”
The Packers tweeted a photo from inside the locker room Sunday morning showing a T-shirt with the message “End Racism.”
The caption read, “Bigger than football. #PackersUnited.”
Packers players took the field after the anthems.
They went on to beat the Vikings 43-34.
The Packers play their home opener at Lambeau Field Sunday, September 20, 2020, against the Detroit Lions. No fans will be allowed in the stands.
The Green Bay Packers stayed in the team locker room during the pregame anthems Sunday, September 13, 2020.
