Lions Owner Martha Firestone Ford last week "asked her team not to kneel" during the national anthem, according to a front-page piece by Dave Birkett of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. In exchange for finding a different way to protest, Ford said that she would be "willing to donate both money and her name to community issues at the heart of the players' cause." Lions RB Ameer Abdullah said, "We do dance around the topic a lot and Mrs. Ford has come forward and said that as long as we compromise as a team and unify and make a unified demonstration, she’ll back us financially. So I’m definitely going to hold her to her word." Ford, who "linked arms" with players and coaches at Ford Field last week, was "not on the sideline for the anthem" yesterday at U.S. Bank Stadium. Eight Lions players, including Abdullah, "took a knee" during the anthem last week, but "only two of those players," LBs Steve Longa and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, did so yesterday. Longa's father was "struck by a car and killed last week;" he "kept his head down in prayer" during the anthem. DE Cornelius Washington said there were "probably alternate reasons" for both Longa and Reeves-Maybin taking a knee. Washington said of Ford's request, "She just asked us not to take the knee and basically told us -- not basically, she told us she would back and support financially as well as put her name on whatever issues that we wanted to try to attack. ... She just I guess felt like there was better ways to get the point across. And at this point, people know what we’re kneeling for so now trying to take that next step in the plan of action to foster change is, that’s the next part" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 10/2).
TRYING TO BE HEARD: Lions WR Golden Tate, who has not knelt during the anthem, said, "We just want to see some change -- that's all we want. We're hurt. As people, we are hurt. We look at the leader of our country, we feel like he doesn't give two craps about us. And I'm glad it's being talked about. In order for change (to happen), you have to feel uncomfortable." MLIVE.com's Kyle Meinke noted "no boos could be heard from the press box" during the anthem yesterday (MLIVE.com, 10/1).
