The Latest: Tenor singing anthem supports players who kneel

The Latest on the seventh week of the NFL season (all times Eastern):

11:15 a.m.

Lawrence Brownlee was chosen by the New York Jets to sing the national anthem before their game against the Baltimore Ravens, but the operatic tenor faced a difficult decision.

In a statement Sunday morning, he said he found himself ''being torn in two different directions.'' As the son of a veteran, Brownlee wrote, he was honored to be given the opportunity to sing the anthem - as he has before.

''I am grateful for the fact I have far more opportunities to succeed today as a man of color than my ancestors who were alive when the anthem was written,'' he said.

He added, however, that he ''cannot ignore how protests around the national anthem have escalated as of late. My fellow Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity brother Colin Kaepernick began the movement by silently protesting the anthem in hopes that the public discourse regarding race relations, police brutality and misconduct toward people of color would change.''

Brownlee said the San Francisco quarterback's decision is ''an act of protest which I agree with and support wholeheartedly.'' The opera star said he's hopeful ''people are gradually moving toward equality in all areas,'' and asked himself whether he would sing the anthem before the game or ''stand in silent solidarity.''

''In the end, I decided to use the voice that God has given me to sing,'' Brownlee wrote, ''to sing with the conflicting emotions that pull at my heart ... the honor, the pride, the frustration, the sadness ... Colin Kaepernick's message, the hope of my ancestors, and the sacrifice of those who gave their lives protecting our flag.

''And I will keep on singing until I can no longer do so.''

- Dennis Waszak Jr. reporting from East Rutherford, New Jersey.

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9:50 a.m.

The pregame protests were muted, with only one player, the Los Angeles Rams' Robert Quinn, raising a clenched fist during the national anthem before the start of the game against the New York Giants.

But the start of the game itself proved dramatic. On the second play from scrimmage, Giants tight end Larry Donnell took an 8-yard reception for an apparent first down - only to have the ball forced loose by Lamarcus Joyner and recovered by Rams cornerback E.J. Gaines on the Giants 35.

On the ensuing Rams' possession, Tavon Austin lost a fumble that went out of bounds and Case Keenum nearly threw a pick from a tipped ball, then hit Austin up the middle for a 10-yard strike and the game's opening TD.

- Shawn Pogatchnik reporting from London.

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9:15 a.m.

The NFL's latest experiment in internationalizing the sport - taking the game to the English home of rugby, Twickenham, for the first time - got off to a stylish start with fireworks, flames and live music from English R&B star Craig David performing from his new album, ''Following My Intuition.''

Teams of camouflaged British soldiers unfurled field-covering banners honoring the Giants and Rams as the teams' cheerleaders surrounded David's stage on the 50-yard line.

Twickenham is filled to capacity in a special 75,000-seat layout. Ticket scalpers outside the stadium could be heard appealing to buy tickets from passers-by, complaining that the original allotment had sold out online within 20 minutes.

Newly signed Giants kicker Robbie Gould took the field on his own an hour before kickoff to take some practice swings. He wore No. 5, not his usual 9 during his 11 seasons with the Chicago Bears. On the Giants roster, 9 is already taken by punter Brad Wing.

- Shawn Pogatchnik reporting from London.

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8:30 a.m.

It's another early start for NFL fans as the league starts 3+ hours early from London.

The New York Giants play the Los Angeles Rams in Twickenham Stadium, the home of England's rugby team in southwest London, to begin a slate of 13 games Sunday. It's the first London NFL game not being played at the national soccer stadium, Wembley, since the league started staging regular-season contests in the British capital in 2007.

The buildup has been overshadowed by the NFL's response to new domestic-abuse allegations against Giants kicker Josh Brown, who has been placed on NFL-ordered paid leave while the league mulls whether his original one-game suspension should be toughened. Former Bears kicker Robbie Gould, signed barely 24 hours earlier, will make his Giants debut in front of a sellout 75,000-strong crowd.

Later, the league's only undefeated team, the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings, face the Eagles in Philadelphia, while the Patriots travel to Pittsburgh to face a Steelers team without the injured Ben Roethlisberger. On Sunday night, the NFC West-leading Seahawks face an improving Cardinals squad in Arizona.

Also playing Sunday: Cleveland at Cincinnati, Washington at Detroit, Oakland at Jacksonville, New Orleans at Kansas City, Buffalo at Miami, Baltimore at the New York Jets, Indianapolis at Tennessee, San Diego at Atlanta, and Tampa Bay at San Francisco.