ESPN
During the anthem prior to the "Monday Night Football" game, one Chiefs player appeared to go out of his way to shield a sitting teammate from ESPN cameras.
As the anthem was playing, ESPN zoomed in on defensive back Kenneth Acker, who was sitting on the bench. However, the view of Acker was blocked by running back Charcandrick West.
While, the positioning could have easily been attributed to happenstance, when the cameraperson moved, so did West, as he appeared to be intentionally trying to block the view of the camera.
The move was curious because it gave the appearance that West was just meandering aimlessly on the sideline during the anthem, something that some might deem even more disrespectful than just sitting quietly.
It was also curious because ESPN also showed another Chiefs player, defensive back Marcus Peters, also sitting on the bench and not shielded by anybody.
ESPN
The move by West was also reminiscent of what was seen prior to the Oakland Raiders game on Sunday in which several staffers seemingly tried to keep anybody from seeing Marshawn Lynch, who was also sitting. In the case of the Raiders, they used several staffers and it left some wondering if maybe he had received threats.
During anthem OAK staff hid @MoneyLynch from view. Sincere question: did he want that, was it to protect him, or didn't team want it seen? pic.twitter.com/fCIiEPfywN
- Amy Trask (@AmyTrask) October 1, 2017