It took three games and two more deaths of unarmed black men for four Washington Redskins players to finally join the growing number of NFL players who are standing up against the over-policing of black and minority communities.
On Sunday, DeSeanĀ Jackson, Niles Paul, GregĀ TolerĀ andĀ RashadĀ Ross all raised a fist during the national anthem before taking on the New York Giants.
The protest came after Redskins coach Jay Gruden noted at the beginning of the season that his team would not be participating in any protests during the playing of the national anthem.
In fact, Gruden had added that his players would "stand up and give respect" during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
The Redskins haveĀ "a ton of respect for what goes on for our country with those people," Gruden said, the Washington Post reports. "And for three minutes, for us to take our helmet off and stand up and give respect is how we treat it here with the Redskins."
No word on Gruden's reaction to his players' stance.