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Rams owner/chairman Stan Kroenke released a statement Sunday in response to President Trump's inflammatory criticism of NFL players who have taken a knee during the national anthem. He expresses respect for the national anthem as well as his players' right to "peacefully express themselves." His full statement is below:
Statement from Rams Owner/Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke. pic.twitter.com/OJ3vFbPNwn
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 24, 2017
Kroenke gave $1 million to Trump's election campaign, notes the L.A. Times. He is one of many NFL owners to have done so.
Rams players have protested the national anthem several times since former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick set off a wave of protests in the NFL in response to systemic extrajudicial killings of black men at the hands of American police departments. During the 49ers season opener in 2016, Robert Quinn and Kenny Britt raised their fists. This season, Robert Quinn raised his fist again during a pre-season game.
The Rams also have a history of protest in their former St. Louis home. In 2014, several players protested the killing of Michael Brown in 2014 by walking onto the field with the "hands up, don't shoot" gesture.
Rams linebacker Connor Barwin and offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth took to Twitter this weekend to express their solidarity with the growing protests.
— Connor Barwin (@ConnorBarwin98) September 23, 2017
The Rams are off this week, but L.A.'s other NFL team the Chargers are set to play the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday afternoon at the Stubhub Center.