13 professional athletes who have already said they will kneel during the national anthem

Eric Reid has been one of the most visible — and most vocal — proponents of the kneeling movement ever since he began kneeling alongside Colin Kaepernick when the duo played for the San Francisco 49ers. He and the quarterback settled with the NFL after suing the league for collusion.

Reid has since joined the Carolina Panthers and continues to kneel during the anthem in protest of police brutality.

"I've always been considering what's best for the movement," Reid told The Washington Post after his first game with the Panthers. "I've always told myself when the time comes to stop kneeling that I'll stop — that time has not come."

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Albert Wilson kneeled throughout the 2019 season.

"I don't feel like anything has changed. We're protesting social injustice and police brutality," Wilson told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in September. "Things haven't changed since last year so we'll continue to protest."

Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said he's "all for" kneeling during the national anthem and plans to join his players in protesting police brutality this season.

"Yeah, I'll take a knee. I'm all for it," O'Brien told the Houston Chronicle. "The players have a right to protest, a right to be heard and a right to be who they are. They're not taking a knee because they're against our flag. They're taking a knee because they haven't been treated equally in this country for over 400 years."

In a Twitter thread posted June 4, New Orleans Saints superstar running back Alvin Kamara said he will "kneel confidently because I know that with just that small gesture, a much bigger message is being conveyed."

"And also within that gesture the voices of those who no longer have a voice can be heard," Kamara added.

A former star for the UCLA Bruins, Kaiya McCullough has kneeled for the national anthem since 2017. She is slated to begin her professional soccer career in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) at the end of June, and she plans to kneel when she suits up for the Washington Spirit, according to Washington City Paper.

"I remember crying the whole time I was kneeling for the first time, and every time from there it got a little bit easier," McCullough said. "I was less scared of the consequences. I was less scared about what people would say."

Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson will "without a doubt" take a knee during the upcoming NFL season.

"Just four years ago, you're seeing Kaepernick taking a knee," Peterson told the Houston Chronicle. "And now we're all getting ready to take a knee together going into this season."

Real Madrid's Marcelo kneeled and raised a fist after scoring a goal against Eibar.

"Happy to be back with Real Madrid!" Marcelo wrote on Instagram. "Happy to have scored a goal! But even happier to see all the CHANGES in the world! Now it's time. We must use the power we have and start making real CHANGES."

Newly-minted Chicago Bears defensive back Jordan Lucas — who won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs last season — "110 percent" plans to kneel during the national anthem this year.

"We just want peace," Lucas told Forbes' Jeff Fedotin. "We just want justice."

Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield said on Instagram that he'll be kneeling during the national anthem this upcoming season. When he received pushback from fans, he explained his stance further.

"Everybody so upset about my comment doesn't understand the reasoning behind kneeling in the first place," Mayfield wrote on his Instagram story, per Fox News. "It's about equality and everybody being treated the same because we're all human. It's been ignored for too long and that is my fault as well for not becoming more educated and staying silent."

"If I lose fans, that's OK," he added. "I've always spoken my mind. And that's from the heart."

US Women's National Team superstar Megan Rapinoe is no stranger to the bright, often harsh light that shines on those taking a stand. She was one of the first athletes to join Colin Kaepernick in kneeling during the national anthem back in 2016. Since then, she's engaged in public feuds with President Donald Trump and been an outspoken advocate for marginalized communities.

"It's just always worth it to be honest," Rapinoe told Stephen Colbert on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," per Bleacher Report. "Use your voice in whatever way you can. I truly believe we have a responsibility to make the world better in whatever way we can do best."

Though she won't be joining her NWSL club team — OL Reign — at the Challenge Cup in Utah later this month, it's more than likely that the outspoken, pink-haired striker will take a knee as soon as she returns to the pitch.

Houston Texans wide receiver Kenny Stills kneeled throughout the 2019 NFL season and he'll more than likely continue to do so.

"I've still been taking a knee since I've been here," Still told NBC Sports when he first joined the Texans last season. "You hear people in the crowd who have things to say about it. I've gotten good at ignoring those things and trying to continue to do the work that I do. I get out in the community, and meet people, and do a good job of explaining why I'm doing what I'm doing. There are still, daily, issues of police violence … Officers abusing their power is something that's been happening for a long time."

"I don't see the kneeling being something that stops," he added.

Though he hasn't formally committed to kneeling next season, Miami Dolphins defensive tackle and former Clemson Tigers standout said: "it's my job to use my platform to shed some positive light and [be] a spark of hope."

A SWAT officer in Framingham, Massachusetts, shot Wilkins' grandfather, Eurie Stamps Sr., in the back of the head back in 2011 while the then-68-year-old was lying face down in his home. As an unfortunate result, Wilkins is intimately familiar with police brutality, and says that "what's going on in the country right now is extremely personal to me because I experienced it with my family."

"A lot of people are speaking up, using their voice and it's good because change needs to happen," Wilkins told CBS12 News. "Black, white, it doesn't matter. Everyone has a part to play in making these changes, and making the world a better place."

Though he isn't necessarily set on kneeling, New England Patriots running back James White said he's confident Robert Kraft's team will protest in some way.

"I'm sure we'll figure out something as a team," White told reporters, per NBC Sports. "Not sure exactly what that will be, but I'm sure guys will peacefully protest in some type of form or fashion."