With their index fingers in the air, players at half of the 12 NFL afternoon games Sunday, including four-time league MVP Peyton Manning, showed their solidarity in support of the union in collective bargaining negotiations.
Players in games at Houston, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa and Buffalo, as well as at the Broncos-Jacksonville game, held up their index fingers before kickoff, replicating the gestures made by the Saints and Vikings before Thursday night’s season opener in New Orleans. No such gestures appeared at the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, nor in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Foxborough, Mass.; or Nashville, Tenn.
The demonstrations are designed to show the support players have for each other in the final year of the CBA, from which the owners opted out in 2008.
In Houston, about a dozen Colts, led by Manning, and nearly all of the Texans held up their index fingers just after the national anthem. Fans briefly booed the gesture.
“It’s something that we feel is important, not just to show solidarity as players, or just, ‘We’re going to fight ‘the man,’ or whatever,’ ” Texans offensive tackle Eric Winston said. “It’s a show of solidarity.”
League is looking into Jets’ conduct
NEW YORK — The NFL is investigating how a female television reporter was treated at Jets practice Saturday.
Ines Sainz, a reporter for Mexico’s TV Azteca doing a story on quarterback Mark Sanchez, had footballs thrown in her direction by a Jets coach during practice, and players later called out to her in the team’s locker room.
Stafford injures shoulder
CHICAGO — Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford’s status is uncertain after he left the Chicago game with a right shoulder injury following a blindside sack by the Bears’ Julius Peppers.
Injury updates.
Quarterbacks Kevin Kolb of the Eagles and Matt Moore of the Panthers left their games with concussions — the same injury that sidelined Giants tight end Kevin Boss.
• Bills linebacker Paul Posluszny sustained what’s being described as a potential long- term knee injury against the Dolphins.
The Associated Press
