Miami Dolphins To 'Stay Inside' During National Anthem
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The Miami Dolphins have announced players will not be on the field for the national anthem in Sunday's season opener.
In a video first shared by ESPN's Jay Williams, several Fins players explain they will "stay inside" during "The Star-Spangled Banner."
The team's demonstration includes staying inside for "Lift Every Voice and Sing," the Black national anthem, which the NFL has decided will be played before every week-one game.
"If we could just right our wrongs, we wouldn't need two songs," center Ted Karras said in the video.
The two-minute, 15-second video featured nearly 20 players trading stern rhymes about the nation's social protest movement.
"If you speak up for change, then I shut up and play," safety Bobby McCain said.
In the past, the Dolphins have had a few players kneel during the anthem in protest of police brutality.
Now the team is making a collective effort to be on the same page by opting to "skip the long production and stay inside."
The Dolphins have been asked several times this week by reporters whether they'll stand or kneel for the songs.
Head coach Brian Flores, in a black shirt with the words "VOTE," ended the video with a message to the media.
"Before the media starts wondering and guessing, they just answered all your questions," he says. "We'll just stay inside."
The Dolphins open the season on the road against the New England Patriots. You can catch the game this Sunday on CBS4 at 1 p.m.
