【Deborah Sullavan Archives】

Colin Kaepernick was one thing. This would be Deborah Sullavan Archiveson a whole other level.

Kaepernick's silent protests during pregame renditions of the national anthem have already sent sales of his jersey skyrocketing. They've inspired other NFL players and a major American soccer star to follow suit by declining to stand when "The Star-Spangled Banner" is played.

Now one NFL team could be planning something bigger -- much bigger -- according to hints dropped by players this week.

Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, took an activist stance by refusing to stand for the national anthem during preseason games. Initially, he sat on the team bench when the song was played, but has since switched to taking one knee during the song, a stance meant to convey both dissatisfaction and respect. Kaepernick is protesting the unequal treatment many people of color receive in America, particularly at the hands of law enforcement officials.

Kaepernick was initially alone in his efforts, but teammate Eric Reid joined his pregame protest before a matchup with the San Diego Chargers on Sept. 1. Cornerback Jeremy Lane also followed suit before his Seattle Seahawks played the Oakland Raiders the same day.

Lane's Seattle teammate, linebacker Bobby Wagner, dropped a hint this week there could be more to come -- and from more Seattle players, not just Lane.

“Anything we want to do, it’s not going to be individual," Wagner told The Seattle Timeson Wednesday. "It’s going to be a team thing. That’s what the world needs to see. The world needs to see people coming together versus being individuals.”

Wagner added that "whatever we decide to do will be a big surprise."

Wide receiver Doug Baldwin told the Times the Seattle "locker room has discussed" doing something together. Baldwin said he was among those considering a gesture in support of Kaepernick's cause, but “I want to make sure I get all of my ducks in a row before I do so.’’

The Seahawks won the 2013 Super Bowl and reached the NFL championship game again the following season. If they do have a group protest planned for their season opener this Sunday, the day's date would lift the drama up several notches.

Sunday is the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Emotions already high on both sides

To be clear, Kaepernick is protesting the domestic conditions endured by black Americans and other people of color right here in the United States. He's professed respect for the military and for police officers who don't abuse their power. The national anthem protests kindled by Kaepernick and the Sept. 11 anniversary are two completely separate things.

Yet protesting during the national anthem on Sept. 11 of all days is sure to rankle critics. That's not an argument for or against doing it -- it's just the only logical conclusion we can draw after seeing the passions Kaepernick has already incited among those both for and against his activism.

Some fans have burned his jersey in response. Many other fans have bought his jersey -- it's now the NFL's hottest seller. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell figuratively wrapped himself in the American flag when asked about Kaepernick this week. Many struggle to see Kaepernick's protest as a form of patriotism, while others believe it's patriotism in the truest, most noble manifestation.

In one illustration of the reactions Kaepernick has provoked on both sides, U.S. women's soccer star Megan Rapinoe, a gay white woman, took a knee in support of Kaepernick during the national anthem before her Seattle Reign played last Sunday. Prior to the Reign's next game, on Wednesday night, the host Washington Spirit franchise played the anthem before players had taken the field, thus foiling Rapinoe's plan to again take a knee in protest.

In a press release, the Spirit accused Rapinoe of "hijacking" the pregame ceremony and said it was better to play the anthem early than "subject our fans and friends" to the "disrespect" of Rapinoe taking a knee again. Rapinoe, per ForTheWin, called the team's response "unbelievable," throwing in an expletive for good measure.

Further complicating a Sept. 11 mass protest by the Seahawks or any other NFL team is how ardently the league aligns itself with the military and vague tropes of patriotism. Homecoming ceremonies, stadium flyovers by fighter planes and field-length American flags are common before games.

But even these displays contain contradictions. Earlier this year, the NFL returned more than $700,000 to the United States Department of Defense -- money the league had accepted in return for some of those elaborate patriotic displays. To many who previously assumed all that pregame patriotism didn't involve money changing hands, it made the league look like a secretive advertising partner for the military.

Baldwin, the Seahawks receiver, told The Seattle Timesthat Sunday's date was fitting for a silent, respectful protest.

"I think that anybody should be thinking about that," Baldwin said. "Even if it wasn’t Sept. 11 the point of the protest is to get people to think. I think it’s very ironic to me that 15 years ago on Sept. 11 was one of the most devastating times in U.S .history and after that day we were probably the most unified that we have ever been. And today we struggle to see the unity."

Only time will tell what the Seahawks actually do Sunday. Only time will tell how the public reacts.

But one thing is for certain already: The movement Kaepernick started last month has become much more than just a blip on the pop-culture radar.