Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters appeared to stage a silent protest before the NFL’s season opener on Thursday as he stayed seated during the playing of the U.S. national anthem before defeating Tom Brady’s New England Patriots.
Peters sat alone on a table with his helmet perched atop his head while he looked toward the field ahead of his team’s game against the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Prior to the game, Peters shared a photo on Twitter with a pair of cleats with one having ‘Liberty’ written on the bottom while the other said ‘Justice For All’.
Kansas Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, pictured, remained seated during the US national anthem in the season opener against the New England Patriots last night
Kansas City stunned the sell-out home crowd by becoming the first team to overturn a New England half time lead and defeating the Patriots at the Gillette stadium in 82 games
Speaking after the game, New England Quarterback Tom Brady admitted his team were simply not good enough
He also tweeted: ‘Stand for what you stand in. If you see the potential for good, speak up. Don’t be Quiet.’
NFL players protesting during the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ has become increasingly common since Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the anthem last season, saying he was protesting police brutality and social inequality.
Kaepernick opted out of his contract in March and has not been signed by another team.
Peters, a first-round draft pick in 2015 who was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons, has opted not to stand for the anthem on previous occasions.
The 24-year-old rode a stationary bike during the anthem before a pre-season game in August and raised a fist ahead of a regular season game in 2016.
Before the game, New England owner Robert Kraft, center, posed with the Vince Lombardi trophy along with former players Kevin Faulk, Matt Light, Deion Branch and Julian Edelman
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett, Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch and a number of Cleveland Browns players were among those who have not stood for the anthem during the 2017 pre-season.
Kansas City stunned New England who were celebrating their fifth Lombardi Trophy, with a 42-27 victory.
The 65,878 sell-out crowd were predicting Brady leading New England through an undefeated season.
But, speaking after the game he said: ‘Just a very poor effort and we’ll have to do a lot better. Didn’t make a lot of plays tonight.’
It was the first time the Patriots lost at Gillette Stadium when leading at halftime, a span of 82 games.