Mike Evans Sat During National Anthem To Protest Election Of Donald Trump

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans became the latest NFL player to refuse to stand during the national anthem yesterday, a sign of protest that was directed at either half the electorate or one person in particular, depending on how you look at it.

Other players have knelt or sat during the anthem to protest racial injustice in America, but Evans hadn’t previously joined in those protests. Yesterday, he sat because Donald Trump is the president-elect of the United States.

After the game, he explained himself to reporters:

Evans’s thoughts on Trump:

I’m not big on politics or things like that, but I told myself, I said, if [Trump gets elected], then America is not right right now. I said this a long time ago. When he ran, I thought it was a joke, and you know, the joke continues.

[...]

A reality star can be the president, that’s not a good look for America, I think. Because of who he is. It’s not about the Republican party or Democratic party or anything like that. It’s just who he is, and it’s well documented what he’s done, and I’m not gonna stand for somebody I don’t believe in.

Evans made it clear that he meant no disrespect towards veterans or members of the armed forces, and implied that he will continue to sit for as long as Trump is president.