The Steelers sent a recorded response from President Art Rooney II on Friday to fans who "called the team to express their anger over the team’s absence from the sidelines" during the national anthem before the team's Week 3 game against the Bears at Soldier Field, according to Ed Bouchette of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. Rooney was bothered by the "perception that somehow the Steelers showed disrespect toward the U.S. military." He said, "The reaction to what happened last weekend was unexpected and we regret what happened. We kind of felt we were staying out of the business of making political statements, but it was interpreted that we were doing something." Rooney has "seen the images of fans burning various Steelers gear in anger over their actions." He said, "There’s a lot of anger out there, a lot of intensity about things. We just have to stay positive and do what we can to change the conversation back to being positive about being united around our football team" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 9/30).
BIRDS CAGED: In DC, Dave Sheinin reported the owner of Maryland-based Hard Yacht Cafe spent much of last week "ridding the restaurant of all its Ravens paraphernalia and advertising, including 17 neon signs that were returned to Anheuser-Busch on Thursday and a large, purple-painted, Ravens-logoed buoy." The restaurant will "continue to keep its TVs tuned to the NFL on fall Sundays," but marketing will not be built "around Ravens games." Restaurant owner Art Cox: "We’re not going to ban or boycott it. But in no way are we going to support or promote the Baltimore Ravens or the NFL." Since last weekend, the Baltimore Craigslist ticket marketplace has "filled up with seats for sale for upcoming Ravens games" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/30). In Boston, J.D. Capelouto reports more than 100 veterans, police officers and Gold Star families "adorned cars and motorcycles with American flags and caravanned from Sharon to Foxborough, where they drove by Gillette Stadium in a show of support for the national anthem amidst controversy" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/2). In Tampa, Reeves & Guzzo report a group called "Stand Up for America!" yesterday "gathered outside Raymond James Stadium to protest" the Buccaneers' actions during the anthem (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 10/2). In Daytona Beach, Ken Willis writes under the header, "Local NFL Viewers Happy To See Anthem Protests Downplayed This Week" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 10/2).
ARE YOU HAPPY? In Boston, Steve Buckley writes, "If/when the day arrives when people do tune out, it won’t be because a collection of players on your favorite team chose to take a knee while a popular local crooner was performing the national anthem. ... You garb-burners may have gotten some attention, but it’s not like it’s a movement" (BOSTON HERALD, 10/2). Many of the Panthers' longtime fans said that they will "support the players no matter how they decide to take action" during the anthem. In Charlotte, Katherine Peralta writes nearly two dozen season-ticket holders were instead "critical" of Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson, who was the "second-to-last owner to respond to remarks last week" from President Trump (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/30).
