Bills running back LeSean McCoy remained on knee or stretched during the national anthem before Sunday’s game against the Broncos in a change from what he’s done in the past and he confirmed after the game that his decision was a reaction to President Donald Trump’s comments this weekend.
“I can’t stand and support something where our leader of this country is just acting like a jerk,” McCoy said, via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW. “You know ... angry, upset about NFL players protesting in a peaceful manner. A lot of people go to different areas and subjects but, in this country a lot of different things are going on where people are protesting in a violent way. If a guy wants to take a knee or express himself in a different manner… he has that right. The biggest thing is that it’s in a peaceful manner. You know, that really bothered me. I think us as a group, as a team, we wanted to display that, hey, we come together as a team and show to the world that no matter how different each other, person are, we can come together.”
McCoy also called Trump an a--hole on Twitter Saturday.
Several other Bills players also knelt during the national anthem on Sunday and team owners Terry and Kim Pegula said in a statement on Sunday morning that said the team’s players “have the freedom to express themselves in a respectful and thoughtful manner and we all agree that our sole message is to provide and to promote an environment that is focused on love and equality.”