Jets don’t come out for national anthem in surreal scene

It was a surreal scene.

Standing on the field at Bills Stadium, minutes before kickoff between the Jets and Bills Sunday, Nashville recording artist Caitlin Koch, an Orchard Park native, sung the national anthem with both sidelines as empty as the stadium seats.

The Jets and Bills remained in the locker room as a show of unity against the rash of racial injustice that’s been so rampant in the country.

“We had a couple meetings leading up to the game to put the options out there,’’ Jets coach Adam Gase said after the Jets’ 27-17 loss. “The decision was made as a group that we were going to be together on this and stay in the locker room.’’

According to Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, one of the team captains, the players came to the decision on Thursday.

“For us, it was just about making a statement and that was our thought process,’’ Darnold said. “We didn’t talk to Buffalo about it at all. It was just a coincidence that both teams did that.’’

Several players wore the names of victims taped to the back of their helmets.

Marcus Maye honored Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed by a police officer in March in Louisville. Cornerback Pierre Desir honored Michael Brown, who was fatally shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo. in 2014.

“It was something that we came up with as a team,’’ receiver Jamison Crowder said. “I don’t know if it’ll be something that we do every week, but with what’s going on in the world there needs to be some change and we’re just trying to use our platform so that our voices can be heard.’’

Maye said what the team decides to do for the anthem for the rest of the season will be a fluid situation.

“It’ll be a conversation we have every week,’’ he said.