NFL players stand in tunnel during anthem, extending protests

Several Philadelphia Eagles players did not take the field during the playing of the national anthem on Thursday night as NFL players continue to demonstrate at games.

Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and cornerback De’Vante Bausby stood in the tunnel during the playing of the national anthem for Thursday night’s game against the New England Patriots, NBC Sports Philadelphia reported.

The pair ran onto the field after the song ended and were soon joined by defensive end Michael Bennett, who reportedly stayed in the locker room during the song.

Malcolm Jenkins and DeVante Bausby stayed in tunnel for national anthem

Michael Bennett was in lockeroom#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/6RCt0tQElS

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 16, 2018

Last week, Jenkins and Bausby both raised their fists during the national anthem at a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to protest racial injustice and police brutality.

Players from the Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks also reportedly remained in the tunnel until the end of the anthem last week.

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The morning after last week’s slate of NFL preseason games on Thursday night, President Trump took to Twitter to renew his attacks on NFL players who protest during the national anthem and claimed they just “wanted to show their ‘outrage’ at something that most of them are unable to define.”

The NFL sought to end the controversy over national anthem protests by imposing a policy earlier this year that would prevent players from protesting during the national anthem. The policy was later placed on hold after drawing a wave of complaints from players and fans.

On-field demonstrations began last year with former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who gained notoriety after he knelt during the national anthem to protest the treatment of people of color in the U.S.