Packers and Bears ALL stand for anthem and link arms in 'show of love and unity' after asking fans to join in - but divided crowd responds with American flags and anti-NFL protest signs

• The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears linked arms in their separate teams at Thursday night's game
• The Packers had asked fans earlier in the day to do the same as a 'unified show of freedom and equality' 
• Some football fans joined in and linked arms in the stands as the National Anthem was sung
• Others resisted and placed their hands on their hearts, the traditional gesture, while others held flags
• Many held signs complaining about the protests which have spread across the NFL in the last week 
• None of the players took a knee during the National Anthem which has become a symbol of protest against President Trump

The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears all stood for the National Anthem at their night stand-off in Wisconsin on Thursday night, but couldn't resist chiming in on the NFL protest debate by linking arms.

Earlier in the week as the national row over athletes taking a knee on the field rumbled on, the Packers announced that they would be interlinking arms when the Star Spangled Banner played at Lambeau Field. 

They asked fans to join in on what they described as their 'display of unity' and 'call to connect'. 

Eager to weigh in on the issue but not quite picking either side, Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers insisted before the game on Thursday: 'This is not a protest. This is a unified demonstration of love and solidarity.

'This is about unity and love and growing together as a society and starting a conversation around something that may be a little bit uncomfortable for people.' 

Fans, who earlier expressed outrage over what the announcement, were divided in the stands on Thursday.  

As singer Tyler Farr belted out the National Anthem some mimicked them, joining arms as they sang along.

They were surrounded by others who placed their hands on their hearts, waved American flags and held signs condemning the protests which have swept across the NFL and spread into other pockets of pop culture since President Trump condemned them last week. 

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'Protest on your own time, not on my dime,' was just one of the messages from the crowd. Immediately before the Anthem, a chant of 'USA' barreled through the stadium. 

Others held signs reading 'We Stand' and countless stuck to the time honored tradition of placing their hands on their hearts as the Anthem was sung. 

Some mimicked the players, taking the Packers up on their request that they lock arms. The National Anthem wasn't the only dramatic moment during Thursday's game. 

At the end of the second quarter, heavy rain and lightning caused a delay, bringing play to a halt shortly before 9.15pm. 

They resumed play at 10pm and the game went on for another two-and-a-half hours before the end of the fourth quarter. 

The Bears clawed their way onto the scoreboard shortly after the intermission but failed to catch up with their opponents' early lead. The final score was 14-35 to the Packers.  

In their statement earlier in the week, the Packers released a statement asking their fans to join in on their demonstration on Thursday night. 

They described it not as a protest but as a 'coming together of players'. 

'You will see the sons of police officers, kids who grew up in military families, people who have themselves experienced injustice and discrimination firsthand, and an array of others all linking together in a display of unity,' the statement said.

Later, it described it as a 'moment of unification'. The statement sparked controversy before the game, with many considering it 'disrespectful'. 

Rodgers, speaking to CBS ahead of Thursday's game, insisted it was not a protest. 

'This is not a protest, this is a unified demonstration of love and solidarity. It’s a call to connect. This is about unity and love and growing together as a society and starting a conversation around something that may be a little bit uncomfortable for people.

Tight end Martellus Bennett said explained how players wanted to do something to contribute to the debate but did not want to offend any viewers or fans. 

'The guys wanted to know what we could do to be together so that guys aren’t sitting alone and have to feel like they’re not part of everything that’s going on, because it affects us all.  

'There’s no longer a bubble where you don’t feel like you’re part of the real world. Everyone’s a part of this. It affects all of us — not some more than others. It affects everybody,' he said.

Outraged fans considered it just as much a protest as taking a knee, the gesture made famous by former San Francisco 49ers player Colin Kaepernick who kicked off the protest last year. 

'I am so ashamed of and appalled by the ignorance of any NFL player who would dare disgrace our Stars and Stripes or the memory of hundreds of thousands of fallen U.S. heroes who paid with their lives so that we may live free,' Packers shareholder and 20-year U.S. Air Force veteran Steven Tiefenthaler told the Green Bay Press-Gazette.  

Packers fans are in a unique position to have their voices heard because unlike the privately owned 31 other NFL teams, theirs is divvied up among over 360,000 fans who own over 5 million shares of the franchise.

The division mirrored the stand-off between NFL players and President Trump who last week called for any athlete who kneels during the anthem to be fired.

The comment, coupled with his characterization of the players as 'son of a b****', sparked a furious debate with the league and has spawned a wider debate about whether athletes should protest on the field or court. 

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is standing by the players and their right to protest and such demonstrations have been seen at games across the country - and indeed overseas - ever since. 

Trump spent the better part of last weekend attacking protesting NFL players and calling on team owners to suspend anyone who knelt during the national anthem.

The Packers owners – their shareholders – had a mixed reaction after the President called those protesting 'sons of b******' during a speech in Alabama on Friday.

One shareholder, Atlanta's Audrey Birnbaum Young, took offense.

'It was absolutely ridiculous for him to insult the owners without considering the fact there are shareholders that are also fans,' the 34-year old told CNN. 'We don't have the power to be able to fire those players but even if we could, there is no way that we would listen to that.'

Shareholder Justin Sipla told CNN that he chooses to stand for the anthem, but does not take offense at any player who chooses to protest, 'especially if the causes they say they're doing it for are for reasons of social injustice.'

Sipla was also fine with the decision to lock arms and the team's request that fans do the same.

'The American flag to me is symbolic of the freedom that is provided to us by the Constitution of the United States of America,' he said. 'That means people who want to sit or stand or do something else during any kind of ceremony long, as it's peaceful, we have that privilege.'

According to Packers director of public affairs Aaron Popkey, only one share has been returned in counter protest and he is not aware of any fans returning their season tickets. (The shares are irrevocable, which means shareholders will not be compensated for returning them to the team).

'We've had a steady stream of feedback beginning Monday morning and it continued into Wednesday. We've heard on both sides of the matter,' Popkey told the Press-Gazette.

Laura Hapke, the daughter of a shareholder, told the Press-Gazette that she did not expect the Packers to make any demonstration on Sunday.

'If they come out and say they are more into politics than patriotism, I'll have to rethink it,' Hapke said of her support for the Packers. 'It will break my heart, but I'll have to rethink it.'

And fans aren't the only ones who have misgivings about the NFL players' protests.

One Tennessee businessman decided to pull his ads from NFL broadcasts.

Allan Jones, who founded Checks Into Cash, announced on Facebook that he has pulled all commercials for his company from NFL games over the rest of the season.

'For the 29 States we operate in, this isn't much to them, but it's a lot to us,' Jones wrote on Facebook. 'Our companies will not condone unpatriotic behavior! TAKING A STAND...NOT A KNEE!'

Rogers talked about the team's decision to protest with ESPN on Tuesday: 'This is about equality.'  

'This is about unity and love and growing together as a society and starting a conversation around something that may be a little bit uncomfortable for people.' 

He also said that he hopes that by linking arms people will recognize the issues that need to be addressed.  

Three players - Martellus Bennet, Kevin King and Lance Kendricks - sat on the bench during the anthem. 

Bennett, the team's tight end, protested in the first two games of the season by raising his fist in the air after his brother, Seahawks player Michael Bennett, seemed to be the victim of racial profiling by police in Las Vegas over the summer. 

Trump has called for the league to instate new rules that require players to stand during the anthem - saying anything else is disrespectful to the country and to veterans.

The protests were started before the 2016 season by quarterback Colin Kaepernick - who used his public platform to protest police brutality and racism.

FULL STATEMENT FROM THE GREEN BAY PACKERS AHEAD OF THEIR GAME ON THURSDAY NIGHT 

The NFL family is one of the most diverse communities in the world. Just look around! The eclectic group of players that you root for, the coaches you admire, the people you sit next to in the stands, those high-fiving on military bases, fans at the sports bar or during tailgate parties—we all come from different walks of life and have unique backgrounds and stories.

The game of football brings people together. As NFL players, we are a living testimony that individuals from different backgrounds and with different life experiences can work together toward a common goal.

This Thursday during the national anthem at Lambeau Field, Packers players, coaches and staff will join together with arms intertwined—connected like the threads on your favorite jersey. When we take this action, what you will see will be so much more than just a bunch of football players locking arms. The image you will see on September 28th will be one of unity. It will represent a coming together of players who want the same things that all of us do—freedom, equality, tolerance, understanding, and justice for those who have been unjustly treated, discriminated against or otherwise treated unfairly. You will see the sons of police officers, kids who grew up in military families, people who have themselves experienced injustice and discrimination firsthand, and an array of others all linking together in a display of unity.

Those of us joining arms on Thursday will be different in so many ways, but one thing that binds us together is that we are all individuals who want to help make our society, our country and our world a better place. We believe that in diversity there can be UNI-versity. Intertwined, we represent the many people who helped build this country, and we are joining together to show that we are ready to continue to build.

Let's work together to build a society that is more fair and just.

Join us this Thursday by locking arms with whoever you're with, stranger or loved one, wherever you are—intertwined and included—in this moment of unification.  

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