In exchange for not kneeling during the anthem, Ford told the players this week she will help back the causes they choose. Abdullah and Washington both stood during the anthem and linked arms with their teammates.
"She just asked us not to take the knee and basically told us -- not basically, she told us she would back and support financially as well as put her name on whatever issues that we wanted to try to attack," Washington told the Free Press. "But as far as the kneeling, she just I guess felt like there was better ways to get the point across. And at this point, people know what we're kneeling for so now trying to take that next step in the plan of action to foster change is, that's the next part, and that's the part she's willing to get behind."