8 hours ago
Cam Newton (2nd from right) led the Patriots to victory with two self-made touchdowns.
Photo: Steven Senne / AP / dpa
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Successor Cam Newton led the six-time Super Bowl winner with two self-run touchdowns to a 21:11 win against the Miami Dolphins. Co-favorite Baltimore Ravens also got off to a successful start into the new season: The team around previous year’s MVP Lamar Jackson won against the Cleveland Browns with a clear 38: 6.
The game of the Vikings against the Packers was also ushered in with the unofficial black anthem “Lift every voice and sing”.
Photo: Charlie Neibergall / AP / dpa
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The Minnesota Vikings lost their season opener against the Green Bay Packers 34:43. The Vikings had invited George Floyd’s family to the game – the stadium is only about five kilometers from the place where the African American died in a police operation in late May. Officially, as in most NFL stadiums, no fans were allowed to attend the game due to the corona pandemic.
The game was also heralded like every other this season with the unofficial anthem of the blacks “Lift every voice and sing”. Most of the teams lined up in a row, silent and hooked, while the song was playing on the stadium screen – some went into the dressing room closed, some actors like Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich knelt.
After months of protests against racism and police violence in the United States that followed Floyd’s death, and intermittent strikes in other sports, the behavior of the professionals in the National Football League had been eagerly awaited. Colin Kaepernick started as the then quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers in 2016 with his kneeling protest during the anthem.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 200913-99-547300 / 5
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