Tuesday 22 August 2017 19:49, UK
A dozen Cleveland Browns players took a knee in protest during the national anthem before their preseason clash with the New York Giants on Monday night.
The players shared a moment of prayer rather than stand for the anthem, with other team-mates standing around them in support of their protest at social and racial problems within the United States.
"There's a lot of social and racial injustices going on in the world right now," said safety Jabrill Peppers, who was one of the Cleveland players to kneel during the anthem.
"We were just praying for everyone. Everyone thinks that when you reach a certain level, a certain status in life, certain things you're unaffected by, but that's not the truth.
"We're all human at the end of the day, and we just have to come together at times like these. It was just us being together, a bunch of team-mates praying for the world."
Last year, quarterback Colin Kaepernick, then with the San Francisco 49ers, was the first player to make a protest by standing during the national anthem.
His decision drew widespread criticism and he has since been unable to find a new team after becoming a free agent.
Click on the video at the top of the page to watch the Browns protest.
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The regular season of home and away matches run from September to December 2017, culminating in PlayOffs from January 6, 2018 and the Super Bowl on February 4, 2018 at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota to determine the world champion.
