Fans accuse Chicago Bears player of performing Muslim prayer during national anthem: 'Is this respectful?'

The last thing the NFL needs is another national anthem controversy.

One online video, however, has the Chicago Bears in the spotlight for a player's actions during "The Star-Spangled Banner," and one online video may be all it takes.

'Don't pray to Allah during OUR national anthem!'

Before the Bears' game against the New York Jets on Sunday, wide receiver Kalif Raymond was spotted alone on the edge of the end zone grass at Soldier Field in Chicago during the national anthem, seemingly praying on his hands and knees.

Raymond rose to his feet for what appeared to be the final 20 seconds of the anthem performance, standing still.

Raymond was spotted performing similar actions before Week 3's game against the Philadelphia Eagles, also at Soldier Field in Chicago

Some fans immediately took Raymond's actions as a sign he is a Muslim.

"Don't pray to Allah during OUR national anthem!" wrote radio host Grant Stinchfield on an X post.

However, other fans quickly pointed to Raymond attending both a private Christian high school in Georgia and the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, a private Jesuit college.

In fact, last Thursday the Bears posted a YouTube video with Raymond wearing a microphone on the field, where he is seen saying, "I'm going to thank Lord Jesus first."

Further evidence of his Christian faith comes from 2022, when Raymond said he was "just thankful that the Lord blessed me" after winning a game ball for his performance.

Still, some fans found the display disrespectful to the anthem.

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"Is this respectful during the National Anthem?" a post asked.

A reply stated, "Anyone disrespecting the national anthem like this (or kneeling) should be fined and suspended."

The NFL's most infamous controversy came when quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeled during the national anthem in 2016. The former San Francisco 49ers player's performance was a vague protest about injustice and police brutality:

"I am not going to stand to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick said at the time.

Many other players protested similarly in subsequent weeks, including retired player Ray Lewis, who joined the Baltimore Ravens' protest but decided to get down on both knees instead.

Other famous prayers in the NFL include former quarterback Tim Tebow, who made his name into a verb by "Tebowing," which meant to take a knee in the end zone to pray after scoring a touchdown.

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Amy Lemus/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The NFL rulebook does not specifically mention conduct during the national anthem.

At the height of the kneeling controversy though, outlets referred to a league Game Operations Manual that encouraged players to stand for the anthem but didn't required them to. The NFL vice president of corporate communications confirmed this to FactCheck.org in 2017.

The previously listed operations manual no longer appears online, and the current operations manual mentions the national anthem only with regard to its maximum length.

The Bears organization did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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