Patriots fans booed, yelled ‘stand up!’ at kneeling players

New England Patriots players took part in protesting the national anthem for the first time on Sunday, and the gesture was not well-received by some fans at Gillette Stadium.

According to Tom E. Curran of CSSNE.com, fans seated behind the Patriots bench could be heard booing and yelling “stand up!” at the players who took a knee during the anthem.

Boos and chants of "Stand up!" As the anthem begins with a few Patriots taking a knee in front of bench.

— Tom E. Curran (@tomecurran) September 24, 2017

National anthem protests were more widespread than ever in the NFL Sunday after Donald Trump encouraged team owners to force players to stand. One team made a strong statement by remaining in the locker room and not taking the field during the anthem.