Pittsburgh Steelers will stay in locker room for national anthem

With Week 3 expected to be full of courageous statements and protests, the Pittsburgh Steelers chose to stay in the locker room during the national anthem.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a big game in Week 3. After two victories to open the 2017 NFL season, the Steelers head to Soldier Field on Sunday to try and stay perfect. Against a sneaky good defense on the road, that could be a tough test. However, the team has other things on their mind — as does much of the league — coming into the game.

Sunday was expected to be a historical day for NFL players in the wake of the weekend’s events. With Donald Trump’s controversial comments regarding players and protests, athletes from all sports and from every team spoke out. However, the expectation was that it wouldn’t stop there, with numerous players and coaches kneeling and showing unity in protesting during the national anthem.

However, the Steelers decided as a team to make a bolder decision than just that.

Roughly two hours before kickoff, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin told Jamie Erdahl on NFL on CBS that the Steelers would not leave the locker room for the national anthem:

In case you didn’t realize how historic and surreal Week 3 was going to get, this should clue you in. The day started in London with both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens having players and coaches kneeling and locking arms. However, not taking the field and “participating” in the anthem is a new level and wrinkle.

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With that being said, it’s worth noting context here. Tomlin is basically saying he’s taking his team out of the crosshairs of this issue. He may be making a statement with his actions as a result, but it is somewhat lessened in power given the reasoning he states.