DETROIT — Before kickoff of the Lions and Falcons game, both teams stood linking arms on the sidelines to “celebrate (our) differences,” the announcer said before Rico LaVelle sang the national anthem.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank linked arms with Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman on the sidelines. Detroit Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford stood with her arms linked with the players.
LaVelle, the Detroit-native singer, waited until the end of the “The Star-Spangled Banner” to kneel.