NFL cheerleader hailed as 'heroine' for taking a knee during American national anthem

An NFL Cheerleader made a bold statement this weekend by taking a knee during the American national anthem. The move was posted to Twitter, in the posts below, where it went viral.

The unidentified cheerleader joined the take-a-knee protest this weekend. During the 49ers versus Raiders pregame national anthem at the Levis Stadium, the cheerleader decided to join the protest started by Kaepernick.

Lenny Harrold was at the game when he spotted the cheerleader taking a knee during the national anthem. He snapped a picture of the moment and posted it to Twitter.

The tweet got 11,000 retweets and 50,000 likes.

NBC reporter, Damian Trujillo also snapped a picture of the moment. He tweeted the moment as breaking news.

The news brought on a multitude of conflicting views however many found the young woman to be brave and inspiring.

"Good for her. Every #American should be #TakingAKnee to our fellow #Americans are treated with the #respect we all wish to be treated with. No one is freedom unless we are all free. #ServeAndProtect" ~Edward Boughton

One user referred to her as a heroine. The cheerleader is the first ever NFL cheerleader to join the protest.

Considering the number of rules the NFL Cheerleaders are required to follow, it would not come as a surprise if she is now facing disciplinary action. However, there has been no statements from the NFL or the 49ers about the situation as yet.

The cheerleader has garnered support from many people including a few veterans on Twitter. One said, " As a retired GS-12 Supervisor who worked for & supported my Country for 38 years while employed for (DOD) Department of Defense I fully support her for practicing her constitutional right to expose any & all injustice against our Constitution & its people. I thank her."

THE ORIGINS OF THE PROTEST:

The take-a-knee protest started with ex-49ers player Colin Kaepernick and two of his teammates. They decided to protest structural racism and police brutality by kneeling on one knee during the national anthem.

The protest spread to other teams and became a controversial form of protest. The US President, Donald Trump, condemned the actions of the players however other famous people sided with them and commended their efforts.

Kaepernick eventually left the 49ers after feeling the owners froze him out because of his protest. He later sued them for this.

OTHER CHEERLEADERS INVOLVED IN THE PROTEST:

While the 49ers cheerleader might be the first NFL cheerleader to join the protest, a college team beat her to the punch. Five cheerleaders from Kennesaw State University joined the protest in 2007.

They were mysteriously absent from the field at the next game after their stunt. However, the school firmly denied that the change in game day programme was related to the event regardless of the timing of the changes.

The five girls and their families who were involved in the protest were allegedly harassed by local law enforcement at their homes. However, there has been no official statements regarding this from the girls.