NFL's Third Day Highlights Political Protests

The third day of activities in the NFL stood out for the political overtones and protests that surrounded professional American football.

Following President Donald Trump's controversial request to team owners, recommending that they fire all players who kneel or protest in any way during the National Anthem, the teams joined forces and expressed themselves in this way.

This movement was initiated by Colin Kaepernick last year, in protest against the killings of the African-American population by police officers. At the time, these gestures were highly criticized and were even one of the factors why the player remains without a team to this date.

In the league game in London, the Baltimore Ravens, accompanied by Ray Lewis, former linebacker of the team, and a preliminary nominee for the Hall of Fame, knelt during the protocol, while the players of the Jacksonville Jaguars, including their owner Shahid Khan, linked arms.

These expressions also stood out when Tom Brady, known for his friendship with Trump, also linked arms with his teammates and expressed regret over the politician's words.

The Pittsburgh Steelers went even further, with almost the entire team staying in the locker room while the national anthem was being sung, with offensive lineman Alejandro Villanueva, a war veteran in Afghanistan, being the only player on the field when the patriotic protocol took place.

The Monday night game was no exception. Team owner Jerry Jones and coach Jason Garrett joined their Dallas Cowboys players in this protest, as did the Arizona Cardinals, who formed a long line of teammates with linked arms while a huge American flag covered the field at the University of Phoenix Stadium.