Former USWNT star Carli Lloyd became a talking point during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics — but not solely for her performance on the pitch.
During the third-placed match against Australia, and what would be her last for the United States, Lloyd stood during the national anthem as her teammates knelt in protest following the murder of George Floyd in March 2020.
In an episode of CBS Sports’ Kickin’ It, Lloyd revealed her reason for remaining stood during the anthem.
‘In that moment, we were kneeling right before kickoff. So it wasn’t necessarily like a protest per say,’ Lloyd, 41, told host Kate Abdo.
‘So we had done it every game. And I knew that was gonna be my last world championship game, so I wanted to stand.’
Carli Lloyd can be seen standing (right) while her teammates knelt ahead of the Australia game
Lloyd (right) explained to host Kate Abdo (left) her reason for not kneeling in the 2021 Olympics third-placed match
‘I had done it five other times and I just wanted to stand for this one,’ Lloyd added. ‘In that moment, I just kinda had enough of the kneeling before the game because we had done it for a whole year or so leading up.’
Former USMNT player Maurice Edu chimed in and pointed out how this act ‘dampened the situation’ given Lloyd’s influence and support for change.
‘I’m in support of actionable change,’ Lloyd responded. ‘I just felt like it [kneeling] was just something to do. It was an empty stadium, I don’t know how many people were watching the game.’
Lloyd mentioned seeing ‘every single person as a human being,’ regardless of their appearance and beliefs. Lloyd emphasized the lack of respect around the world and a lot of things need to be different.
Lloyd remained standing as her teammates knelt during the national anthem vs Australia
Taking a knee has been a common act of protest and solidarity in football and other sports
When asked if she would do the same thing now, Lloyd said ‘probably.’
‘I think that people maybe look into things too much. You’re asking me what was my reason– I kneeled five other times. And my last game, I was honed in, I wanted a medal, I wanted to just focus on that.’
Lloyd scored two of the USA’s goals in a 4-3 win over Australia, collecting bronze in her last Olympic appearance.
In Lloyd’s storied international career, she also has two Olympic gold medals and two World Cup wins under her belt. Following her USWNT exit, Lloyd finished her career with Gotham City FC in the NWSL before retiring from the sport.
