evidence: The claim: Colorado coach Deion Sanders benched two players for kneeling during the national anthem [...] "Deion Sanders benched two star players for kneeling during the national anthem," reads text included in the photo. [...] Anthem protests have been a frequent source of satire and misinformation. USA TODAY previously debunked claims that Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin "fired" two players for protesting and that he banned kneeling.