Seahawks may protest national anthem as a team in some form

The Seattle Seahawks have discussed some sort of protest of the national anthem, and one player said that anything they do will be done as a team.

After Jeremy Lane sat down during the anthem during the team’s final preseason game, some Seahawks players, including receiver Doug Baldwin, said they would consider joining him.

“I have (considered it),” Baldwin said Wednesday, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “I want to make sure I get all of my ducks in a row before I do so.”

Linebacker Bobby Wagner said that something even bigger might take place.

“Anything we want to do, it’s not going to be individual. It’s going to be a team thing,” Wagner said, declining to give specifics. “That’s what the world needs to see. The world needs to see people coming together versus being individuals.”

Baldwin isn’t concerned about these actions being controversial within the team’s locker room.

“It’s different in our locker room,” Baldwin said. “We kind of give each other a lot of slack, so whatever decisions you make, we understand we are all human beings. Some of us might not agree, some of us will agree. But at the same time we give each other slack because we know we are all human beings.”

Coach Pete Carroll didn’t go into detail, but he has backed Lane in his protesting.

“He’s pretty clear on what he did and what he was trying to express and I think it is very simple and so we’ll leave that up to him,” Carroll said. “But he understands the responsibility of it, I think, and shouldering it.”

Carroll backed Lane initially, as well, so if the Seahawks do decide to do something on a wider scale, he’ll probably know and approve.