New York Giants Address Pre-Game Anthem Choice
Monday night was the Giants' turn to weigh in on the social justice conversation that is shadowing the NFL this year.
Before kickoff of their Week 1 meeting against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Giants players and coaches lined up in the MetLife Stadium end zone to stand during the playing of Lift Every Voice and Sing. Some players even wore black T-shirts shirts that read “End Racism" during pregame warmups.
But during the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner, the Giants sideline was staggered by some players and coaches who chose to take a knee and others who decided to stand.
"We had a team meeting and we discussed that and we came to the decision to let everyone do what they felt in their heart was the right thing to do," said quarterback Daniel Jones.
For the Giants and head coach Joe Judge, the players needed to have the right to decide how they chose to demonstrate their beliefs during the playing of the national anthem, as the rest of the league has made it customary this year to express their stance on racial inequality in America this season.
"To me, the players have a choice," Judge said. "We talk about it as a team, we had a lot of conversations, we always do, we’re very transparent as a team. I respect everybody in that locker room, and they respect each other, and that’s what’s important."
"I’m proud of how our team handled it in terms of sticking together and not letting anything externally divide us."
The individual decision to stand or kneel was not the case for the Giants' opponent, however. Unlike the Giants, the Steelers player collectively stood, some with their fists in the air, and held a banner that read "Steelers Against Racism."
Meanwhile, approximately 15-20 Giants players chose to kneel. These included safety Jabrill Peppers, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, defensive lineman Leonard Williams, safety Julian Love and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, and outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter.
"We came together, we talked about the situation and just decided that we’re not going to put too much into it," Carter said. "Those three minutes or those two minutes really shouldn’t be a distraction for us, and Coach Judge made it clear that it’s not going to be a distraction.
"We just said, ‘Do what’s on your heart,’ and that’s what was on my heart. Everything we did was genuine and that’s really it."
The majority of the Giants players stood during the national anthem, including Jones and running back Saquon Barkley.
Despite standing, Barkley has been outspoken about his support for the Black Lives Matter movement and even admitted that his father was once on the receiving end of unwarranted police brutality.
"For me personally, I respect everyone that’s kneeling and I respect everything that’s going on," Barkley said. "I want to continue to fall back on what I’m doing in my community and try to be a leader in that aspect. Try to make change that way. Everyone that kneeled or stands, I respect it all. I kind of just did what I normally do."
Monday night's game was not the first instance of Giants players kneeling during the national anthem.
In 2017, three Giants players (defensive end Olivier Vernon, safety Landon Collins, defensive tackle Damon Harrison) knelt during the anthem before a Week 3 contest at Lincoln Financial Field against the Eagles.
Giants co-owner John Mara recently expressed his desire to see all Giants players stand during the national anthem in 2020 but said he would support their decisions.
"My preference is that everybody stand, but if you decide in your conscience that you think taking a knee is the right thing to do, I’m gonna support your right to do that,” Mara said during a video press conference on September 3.
“Because I believe in the First Amendment, and I believe in the right of people, especially players, to take a knee in silent protest if that’s what they want to do.”
The Giants have also launched the #TogetherBlue initiative to be proactive in the local New York and New Jersey communities to promote social justice and unite as one with the fan base.
