Riders link arms during Canadian anthem for second straight game

For the second straight game, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have linked arms during the Canadian national anthem, this time before the team’s game in Ottawa.

The team linked arms for the singing of O’Canada prior to their 15-9 home loss to the Calgary Stampeders last Sunday. Quarterback Kevin Glenn said this week that the gesture was a show of unity following U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial remarks about NFL players kneeling during the American anthem.

“It’s not a protest,” Glenn said. “We (Americans) have the luxury of coming up to this fine country and spending six months here playing football and meeting many great people.

“But after that, we go back home to America so we still have to keep abreast of what’s going on back there. It hits home with us because it is home. It (linking of arms) shows the solidarity of what’s going on back home because we can’t be there but it’s also a solidarity approach to show the unified humanity aspect of it. We’re people from all different walks of life, two different countries, race, colour, creed and we can get along and link arms.”

During a rally a week ago, Trump stated: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he’s fired. He’s fired.”’

– with files from CP