Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Mike Evans ends national anthem protest against Trump
An American football player in Tampa, Florida has ended his protest against President-elect Donald Trump.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans had sat during the national anthem, refusing to stand last week.
He said his protest was over Donald Trump’s divisive statements on minorities, women and LGBT+ people.
But he stood on Sunday for the national anthem ahead of a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Evans had previously vowed to sit during the national anthem “as long as Trump is President-elect”.
But he has issued several apologies for refusing to stand, and has now ended his protest.
Last week’s game had been the Buccaneers’ Salute to Service game, and his refusal to stand had upset many.
“If I had to do it over again, I would have done it differently, but I would still use my platform to help,” Evans said.
“On the field, I’m going to continue to do what I do — play hard. I’m playing hard because I’ve got this right — freedom, because of the vets,” Evans added.
“I’m going to reach out to organisations, organisations that I feel are doing the best job to help the minority … women, LGBT, African Americans, Latinos, people that are in fear of Donald Trump and his presidency.”
