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Until today, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not have any of their players kneel during the national anthem. That changed as Mike Evans took a knee before the game against the Chicago Bears.
The Bucs receiver told Jenna Laine of ESPN that he took a knee in protest of Donald Trump being elected US president. He vowed to continue to kneel as long as Trump, who ran a campaign filled with racist and sexist rhetoric, is the president elect.
"I said this a long time ago. When [Trump] ran, I thought it was a joke," Evans said.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem, a move he made to protest the oppression of black people and people of color.
Trump’s election has sparked mass protests across the nation, but Evans is the first NFL player to use his platform to protest Trump. Other NFL players and coaches have supported Trump, including Bill Belichick and Tom Brady. Trump read a letter of support sent by Belichick days before the election.