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Ravens and Jaguars players kneel, lock arms together for anthem at London game

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens took part in the first national athem protests of an NFL Sunday that is expected to be dominated by them in the wake of controversial comments by United States president Donald Trump.

On Friday Trump told a crowd at a rally that NFL owners should fire players if they refuse to stand during the national anthem.

His remarks, which NFL commissioner Roger Goodell labelled as "divisive" have drawn widespread criticism, with a number of NFL teams releasing statements speaking out against the president and in support of their players.

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And, prior to kick-off between the Jaguars and Ravens at Wembley, scores of players from both teams knelt for the anthem, while those who did not displayed solidarity for team-mates by standing together with arms locked.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan — who donated $1 million to President Donald Trump's inauguration fund — was among those to lock arms on the sideline.

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti released a statement shortly after kickoff that read: "We recognise our players' influence. We respect their demonstration and support them 100 per cent. All voices need to be heard. That's democracy in its highest form."

The players who knelt for the national anthem stood afterward for the playing of "God Save the Queen".