NFL stars kneel in defiance of Trump who said they should be FIRED

Dozens of players on both sides knelt and locked arms during the national anthem ahead of Sunday's game between the Ravens and Jaguars.

Played in London, it was the first NFL game to take place since President Donald Trump began speaking out and tweeting against players who kneel during the national anthem.

The back-and-forth between Trump and the NFL began at a rally the president held in Alabama on Friday. Speaking to the crowd, the president said of players who protest during the anthem, "Get that son of a b---- off the field right now, out. He's fired. He's fired!"

His tirade continued through Saturday night and into Sunday morning, as teams, players, and commissioner Roger Goodell responded with statements defending players' right to kneel. Goodell said the president's comments showed an "unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL."

On Sunday, close to two dozen players from both teams including Terrell Suggs, Leonard Fournette, C.J. Mosley, and Mike Wallace took to one knee as the national anthem played in one of the largest demonstrations of its kind that the NFL has seen.

Players who did not kneel stood linked arm in arm with each other, as did Jaguars owner Shad Khan, who donated $1 million to Trump ahead of his inauguration.

All players stood as the British national anthem, "God Save the Queen," played before the game.

Protests of this nature will likely continue throughout the day.