BOYDS, Md. -- The Washington Spirit prevented Seattle midfielder Megan Rapinoe from kneeling again during the national anthem by altering its pregame ceremonies rather than subject our fans and friends to the disrespect we feel such an act would represent.The National Womens Soccer League team moved up the anthem, playing it while the teams were off the field at the Maryland SoccerPlex.We decided to play the anthem in our stadium ahead of schedule rather than subject our fans and friends to the disrespect we feel such an act would represent, the Spirit said in a statement. We understand this may be seen as an extraordinary step, but believe it was the best option to avoid taking focus away from the game on such an important night for our franchise.On Sunday before the Reigns match in Chicago, Rapinoe knelt during the anthem in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick -- the San Francisco quarterback who has refused to stand during the anthem to protest racial injustice and minority oppression. She said at the time she planned to continue to kneel.To willingly allow anyone to hijack this tradition that means so much to millions of Americans and so many of our own fans for any cause would effectively be just as disrespectful as doing it ourselves, the Spirit said in the statement.Following the match, Rapinoe said she was saddened by the Spirits move.It was incredibly distasteful, four days before one of the worst tragedies in our country, to say I tried to hijack this event, The Washington Post quoted Rapinoe as saying.During the match a group of supporters chanted Let Her Kneel!The Spirit said team owner Bill Lynch is a veteran who has lost friends in overseas conflicts, as had his close friends.The tradition of honoring our military and our patriotism before our games is very important to us, the statement said. We strongly feel that there are better ways to begin a conversation about a cause than tarnishing a tradition that is so important to so many.Earlier Wednesday, the Reign said they were standing by Rapinoe. In a statement, the team said it recognizes Rapinoes action was offensive to some and a source of inspiration to others.We will continue to encourage all Reign FC players to participate in the pre-match ceremony, which honors those who have served and made sacrifices on our behalf, the Reign said. We will also continue to allow players to participate in the pre-match ceremony in a manner consistent with their personal beliefs, reflecting our respect for the rights earned and defended by those fighting for our nation.Kaepernick drew attention when he remained seated on the bench before a preseason game against Green Bay. Last Thursday night in San Diego, he and safety Eric Reid knelt during the anthem before a game against the Chargers.On Sunday night, Rapinoe kneeled during the anthem prior to the match against the Chicago Red Stars, in what she called a little nod to Kaepernick.I think its actually pretty disgusting the way he was treated and the way that a lot of the media has covered it and made it about something that it absolutely isnt. We need to have a more thoughtful, two-sided conversation about racial issues in this country, Rapinoe told the website American Soccer Now afterward.She went on to say: Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties. It was something small that I could do and something that I plan to keep doing in the future and hopefully spark some meaningful conversation around it.The 31-year-old Rapinoe has been with the U.S. national team since 2006 and has played in two Womens World Cups and two Olympics. She has played for Seattle since 2013,Rapinoe injured her knee last December during training and required surgery, but was able to come back and play in the Rio Games. The United States, which had won three straight gold medals in the sport, was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Sweden.Since coming out in 2012, Rapinoe has been devoted advocate for LGBT rights and has worked with the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and other organizations.Rapinoe also has been vocal about pay equity, and was among five national team players who lent their names to a complaint filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging wage discrimination. The players claim that members of the team make in some cases up to four times less than their male national team counterparts. Charlie Coyle Jersey . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. 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Syracuse failed its biggest early season challenge, which in retrospect shouldnt have been a big surprise. Louisville apparently is that good.Now the Orange (2-2) have a chance to make some amends for that 62-28 home loss to the rising Cardinals in early September when they meet Notre Dame (1-3) on Saturday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.The game gives Syracuse an opportunity on a national stage in an NFL stadium to show that first-year coach Dino Babers has the Orange pointed in the right direction. Theyre coming off a 31-24 road win over UConn that snapped a two-game skid.It felt good, said Orange wideout Amba Etta-Tawo, who had 12 catches for a school-record 270 yards and two touchdowns against the Huskies and leads the nation in receiving with 40 catches for 706 yards. A lot of people can breathe now. We just have to keep building upon that.Playing at this particular neutral site might not be the place. Since former athletic director Daryl Gross decided to schedule a series of games against top-flight teams at MetLife Stadium instead of the Carrier Dome in an effort to spread the Syracuse brand in metropolitan New York City, the Orange have lost the first three games at the home of the Giants and Jets -- to Southern Cal (42-29 in 2012), Penn State (23-17 in 2013), and Notre Dame (31-15 two years ago).This Notre Dame team was ranked 10th in the preseason and quickly fell flat. The Irish have allowed more points through four games (134) than any other team in program history. The defensive slide prompted Irish coach Brian Kelly to fire defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder after last weeks 38-35 home loss to Duke.I always like to play teams when theyre at their best because I dont want to win on Saturday and have people say, `Oh, you guys beat Notre Dame, but thats when they were going through X, Y, and Z, Syracuse linebacker Zaire Franklin said.dddddddddddd I would like to play the Notre Dame thats fifth in the nation and headed for a playoff.The Syracuse offense has leaned hard on Etta-Tawo, a graduate transfer from Maryland in his last season of eligibility, and he has responded in a remarkable way. After a summer of working closely together, its no surprise hes become the favorite of quarterback Eric Dungey.Seemingly lost in the dizzying array of balls thrown by Dungey -- hes 117 for 179 for 1,367 yards -- is last seasons go-to guy. Steve Ishmael, who started all 12 games and led the Orange with 39 receptions for 570 yards and seven touchdowns, is fourth on the team this season with 17 catches for 171 yards and zero TDs in the Oranges new up-tempo offense.So far, Ishmael is taking it all in stride.He (Babers) has told me my time is going to come, Ishmael said. Im really going with the flow of things. Im so glad Ambas been making a lot of plays. When other teams see that, when they do double him, its going to open up everything for everybody.The offense should be a lot more exciting when that happens because its going to leave a lot of vulnerable spots.---Freelance writer Mark Frank in Syracuse contributed.---AP College Football Website: www.collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Kekis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Greek1947 Wholesale NFL Womens Jerseys China Womens NFL Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys Outlet Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Wholesale NFL White Jerseys Discount Jerseys ' ' '