Mike Evans was the first player to protest President Donald Trump. He did it last year shortly after the election, drawing criticism at the time for kneeling during the national anthem.
The Buccaneers receiver took a knee again Sunday for the same reason. He expects more criticism this time.
“I don’t care about the criticism at all,” Evans said, via Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times. “It is coming from the people that support President Trump, and I obviously don’t. More and more people are starting to lean the other way and see his true colors. I hope that America and the people that are following him are seeing that he is trying to divide us.’'
Evans and DeSean Jackson were the only Bucs not to stand for the national anthem. They both put their right hand over their heart.
“I did [that] for the troops and military,” Evans said. “People are going to try to misconstrue and depict a different picture than what it really is. . . . People say it is unpatriotic to kneel, but it is unpatriotic of the President for not respecting our rights.”
Before a game against the Bears last November, Evans took a knee for the anthem. He later said it was to protest Trump’s election because “if [Trump being elected] happens, then America’s not right right now.”
