The Associated Press is virtually celebrating how, in reaction to “President Donald Trump’s criticism of players who protest during the national anthem,” there was “a mass increase in such activism Sunday, with more than 100 NFL players sitting or kneeling, others raising their fists and whole teams standing with locked arms to display unity.”
The AP also reported that “One team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, stayed in the locker room during ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.'” That’s just plain false, and the wire service more than likely knew it at the time.
In the writeup’s context, the AP’s report gave readers the impression that the Steelers were expressing a form of solidarity with protesting players. That’s wrong.
In addition to failing to explain why the Steelers predominantly stayed off the field, the wire service’s report filed at roughly 2:30 p.m. ET failed to mention that several Steelers coaches were on the field (in the video seen later, they are seen acting respectfully during the national anthem), and that one Steelers player left the tunnel during the anthem, put his hand over his heart, and sang. – READ MORE
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