What if Irish stars decided to take a knee?

Ongoing across the pond: the controversy over US footballers taking a knee during the national anthem as a protest against police brutality and racial inequality.

(Is there something a little off about the term ‘taking a knee’ as opposed to ‘kneeling’? Can it be that some of these sportspeople are taking a leaf from Napoleon’s book when he said a Bonaparte kneels only before God?)

Anyway, this protest is rumbling on. It began with one player, Colin Kaepernick, sitting for the pre-game anthem and it has become one of those issues that nobody involved in the sport can remain neutral on: hence the sight of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell rejecting President Donald Trump’s criticism of those kneeling, and last week we saw full teams kneeling, including owners such as Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, taking a knee.