Doug Baldwin says he might sit for national anthem, and teammates might join him



SEATTLE – Doug Baldwin said he’s considering sitting during the national anthem before the Seattle Seahawks’ game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday – and more players might join him.

“Our locker room has discussed it, so we’ll see,” Baldwin said during a press conference on Wednesday.

Baldwin said he’s still weighing whether to join teammate Jeremy Lane, San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and other players around the NFL in sitting out the anthem in protest of racial inequality in the U.S.

“I wanna make sure I get all my ducks in a row before I (decide),” Baldwin said.



Baldwin said he’s received a great deal of support since backing Lane on social media, and that much of it has come from military veterans.

“My grandfather being in the military, it hit home for me as well,” Baldwin said. “Specifically, it’s the veterans. That’s more heartening to me than anything. It’s the veterans that said that’s what they fought for.”

Carroll said the team doesn’t plan to interfere in Lane’s decision to continue the protest.

“We’ve talked some about it,” Carroll said. “He’s pretty clear what he did and what he was trying to express, and I think it’s very simple, and we’ll leave that up to him.”



Baldwin said he doesn’t expect any kickback from teammates.

“It’s different in our locker room,” he said. “We kind of give each other a lot of slack because we know we’re all human beings.”



Baldwin said he’s had extended conversations with Kaepernick in recent weeks. He and Kaepernick are both close with Ricardo Lockette, the former Seahawks receiver who was forced into retirement after a devastating neck injury last season.

Baldwin said the fact that Sunday is Sept. 11 won’t affect his decision, adding that he finds it “ironic” that the country was so unified after that day’s events but is so divided 15 years later.

“It’s going to be a special day, a significant day,” Baldwin said. “But at the same time I’m looking to – (making) better changes in the country.”

Baldwin said he’s prayed extensively about the decision and said he doesn’t know if it’s realistic for athletes to believe they can bring about social change.

“I think the point is to bring attention and awareness to the protest,” he said. “To bring attention to what’s going on.

“And I think that’s what the issue is - that we’re missing the message in terms of what we’re talking about.”