San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's movement to take a stand against the over-policing of black communities by taking a knee may be spreading; Mara Green, a redshirt senior middle blocker on Florida State's volleyball team, did just that before a match Friday.
Green told her coach that she planned to stage the silent protest when the No. 13 Seminoles took on the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
"Mara [Green] made me aware of her intention to kneel for the national anthem," Florida State head coach Chris Poole said in a statement released Tuesday, the Tallahassee-Democrat reports. "Florida State University is an institution of higher learning that recognizes a student’s right to freedom of expression.
"Similarly, I respect Mara’s right to freely express herself," Poole continued.
The protest began when Kaepernick sat while the national anthem played during a preseason game. Later, he told NFL.com, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color."
The NFL regular season began Sunday, and several NFL players either knelt or raised a fist in a show of solidarity with Kaepernick's protest to end police violence.
Florida State's Seminoles take on No. 7 Florida Thursday, and there's no word on whether Green plans to continue her protest.
Read more at the Tallahassee-Democrat.