“Still, nobody wants bad blood in the locker room.”
You are entirely correct, and it is due to extremely weak leadership on the part of the coaches/owners. These players have to perform as a team, of course, and by not stepping up and stopping protests, it places the players who do not protest at odds with the ones who do. What quarterback wants to throw a pass to a receiver who is secretly nursing grudges, or hand off to a back with the same attitude?
I agree with your thoughts there too.