orchard park, n.y. <u+2014> there is the blustery coach who introduced donald j. trump at a rally. there is the quarterback whose peaceful pregame protests are the story of the n.f.l. season. there is the supreme court justice who called the demonstration <u+201c>dumb<u+201d> and <u+201c>disrespectful.<u+201d> and there is the smart, thoughtful, relevant reference to the scientific discourse of pathology (from, in case you were wondering, the quarterback). the so-called intersection of sports and politics has seemed to morph into a full-blown five-lane merge in recent months, but its center <u+2014> at least for the moment <u+2014> appears to be here, just outside buffalo, where the san francisco 49ers will visit the hometown bills this sunday. to most, the matchup is unremarkable. but colin kaepernick, the san francisco quarterback whose decision to not stand for the national anthem as a protest against racial injustice in the united states has prompted all manner of debate on race, violence and patriotism, was elevated from backup to starter this week <u+2014> a decision that certainly would be noteworthy on its own. and his opponent is the bills, a team coached by rex ryan , whom casual fans may remember for his raw, often unintentionally comic outbursts or, alternately, for his much-publicized decision to present trump, the republican nominee for president, at an event in april. with that as the backdrop, consider this: kaepernick, his profile raised by his promotion as well as by a surprising back-and-forth in the news media with justice ruth bader ginsburg over his protest (she labeled it <u+201c>stupid<u+201d>), will arrive in town this weekend to kneel during the anthem in front of, among others, ryan <u+2014> who has said he respects the right to protest but would prefer that his players stand before the flag. some buffalo fans have already spoken on social media about antagonizing mr. kaepernick by singing the national anthem en masse when the 49ers have the ball. asked for a summary of the circumstances after practice on thursday, ryan groy, a third-year offensive lineman, nodded, hesitated for a moment and then shook his head before offering, <u+201c>it<u+2019>s all a little bit goofy, isn<u+2019>t it?<u+201d> it is. but that does not mean there is not also a plethora of serious emotions attached to the situation. kaepernick, who is biracial, has been steadfast in his protest, speaking at length on numerous occasions about his views on the mistreatment of african-americans and other minorities in america. in a wednesday conference call with bills reporters, a typically mundane exercise, kaepernick spoke eloquently about justice ginsburg<u+2019>s criticism and suggested that history had shown her dismissiveness to be a misguided choice. <u+201c>as i was reading different articles, i came across one that was talking about the scientific discourse of pathology and how white critique of black protests has always been used to delegitimize what the protest is really about,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>calling it stupid, dumb, moronic, idiotic <u+2014> all of those things are a way to sidestep the real issue so you no longer have to address it.<u+201d> many other athletes <u+2014> in the n.f.l. and elsewhere <u+2014> have joined kaepernick in his protest, but it is unlikely that any bills players will kneel with him this weekend. that may be, at least in part, because ryan has expressed his opinion that players should <u+201c>look at the gifts we have,<u+201d> such as playing professional football, because of the <u+201c>men and women that serve our country.<u+201d> speaking before the season, ryan added, <u+201c>i think that<u+2019>s an opportunity right there just to show respect, and i think that<u+2019>s why when you see our team, every one of us are on that line.<u+201d> while ryan, who is white, also said he understood that others might have different opinions, in a league where players have nonguaranteed contracts <u+2014> and thus can be cut quickly and capriciously <u+2014> it can be tricky for players who might be hesitant to disagree with a figure of authority. to date, no bills player has taken a knee. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s a bit of a gray area when it comes to that,<u+201d> said duke williams, a veteran safety who played college football with kaepernick at the university of nevada. <u+201c>certain guys do have the leverage to do something like that, and other guys don<u+2019>t. that<u+2019>s just the reality of our situation.<u+201d> ryan<u+2019>s connection to trump <u+2014> ryan has declined on several previous occasions to detail his support for the candidate <u+2014> could also present some unease in the locker room. much as in offices or other workplaces, athletes frequently talk (and bicker) about politics, but nearly everyone can acknowledge that this presidential race is unusual in its rancor and divisiveness. thus, consider: a recent survey indicated that more than two-thirds of n.f.l. players are black, latino or asian/pacific islander, and political polls have shown that minorities are largely opposed to trump<u+2019>s insensitive, insult-heavy and, at times, xenophobic campaign. <u+201c>he<u+2019>s clearly a racist,<u+201d> williams, who is black, said of trump. <u+201c>it<u+2019>s a joke.<u+201d> asked if ryan<u+2019>s connection to trump had changed his opinion of his coach, williams said: <u+201c>i see why you would ask that. but we respect each other<u+2019>s different opinions in here, and he has the right to support whoever he wants. it<u+2019>s about football here.<u+201d> that, ultimately, is the trope that players and coaches so often fall back on. anthony lynn, who is black, is the offensive coordinator for the bills and said there had been very little dialogue among coaches about ryan<u+2019>s link to trump <u+2014> <u+201c>rex did that introduction because he thought it was the right thing to do; we just moved on<u+201d> he said <u+2014> while ryan said he had not needed to engage much with his players regarding his political leanings. <u+201c>that thing<u+2019>s been a nonissue with us,<u+201d> he said, adding that he believed there was a culture of <u+201c>respect<u+201d> within the team. asked specifically if he sensed any awkwardness among his players regarding the link to trump, ryan shrugged. <u+201c>not from me,<u+201d> he said. <u+201c>i can promise you that.<u+201d> a version of this article appears in print on october 14, 2016, on page b9 of the new york edition with the headline: unspoken pressure vs. silent protest. order reprints | today's paper | subscribe
an unlikely n.f.l. collision between protest and politics
sam borden