Sean McDermott said "conversations are ongoing" with players on the Buffalo Bills about the possibility of their taking a knee this season to protest social injustice and police brutality.
"If you look back at how we've handled prior experiences, how we've handled it in the last couple of months here, that we are always going to support our players," the Bills' head coach said Wednesday on a Zoom conference call with Western New York reporters. "We're always going to respect their position on things. And then we're also going to do our part in listening and trying to educate ourselves, following it up with love. ... That's really to me, the right way to go about things. That's what we're all about. No hidden agendas. Trying to do things the right way. It starts with respect and ends with love."
McDermott added that he has not been told by any players that they intend to kneel or otherwise protest, but he said he is fully behind them if they choose to.
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"I'm not saying that won't happen, I'm just saying, to your question, at this point, that has not happened," he said. "But I want to reiterate my support of our players. I think that's important right now. We've got a lot of time between now and that first game, so I think the best thing we can do is make sure that they know that we support them and certainly respect their position on things."
McDermott's position in supporting the players follows many of his colleagues around the league in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the nationwide protests that have followed. Last week, Texans coach Bill O'Brien said he planned to take a knee with his players for the anthem. Floyd was a Houston native and O'Brien and members of the Texans' organization attended the funeral.
The Tennessee Titans announced they will support their players should they decide to kneel. Coach Mike Vrabel said the team had not made a decision.
“I know we need to focus on what we can do now, as we lead up to that, to continue to promote change,” Vrabel said on "NFL Live." “And I will say that our players have been told and understand that they have our support as they work through making that change.”
Asked if he intended to take a knee, McDermott said, "I'm going to support my players. And, again, we've got a long time between now and that first game, but I want you to know that I'm going to support my players."
Three years ago, following comments by President Trump that NFL players who kneeled for the national anthem should be fired, Bills players and coaches joined arms for the anthem before a home game against Denver. About a dozen players, including Lorenzo Alexander, Marcell Dareus and LeSean McCoy, took a knee. Six players took a knee the following week before a game at Atlanta.
