KANSAS CITY, Mo. — During what was supposed to be a show of solidarity, there was what appeared to be divisiveness.
The Kansas City Chiefs and several members of the Houston Texans lined up along the goal line before Thursday’s NFL kickoff for a moment of unity for social justice initiatives.
A video played on the screens in each end zone of Arrowhead Stadium featuring phrases like “We Support Equality” and “We Must End Police Brutality”.
While the players stood with their arms locked in a moment of silence, what sounded like boos came from the fans in the stands.
A Twitter video shared by the NFL shows the moment of solidarity and the sounds coming from the stands:
Sports Illustrated reported there were seven phrases developed by players from both teams that were displayed during the pregame program:
- We Support Equality
- We Must End Racism
- We Believe in Justice for All
- We Must End Police Brutality
- We Choose Unconditional Love
- We Believe Black Lives Matter
- It Takes All of Us
The video played on the big screens also featured Alicia Keys performing the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing," which is often referred to as the “Black national anthem." The song will be played before every Week 1 game this season as the NFL addresses social injustice and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Chiefs are among five franchises allowed to have fans in the stands this season. Capacity was capped at 22%, which amounted to about 17,000 people. Fans were seen grouped in pods throughout the stands. The Chiefs also required fans to wear face masks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
