CAMBRIDGE, Md. - NFL players across the country linked arms and kneeled down on one knee - all to take a stand against President Donald Trump and a statement he made last Friday.
"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners when somebody disrespects our flag to say get that son of a b----h off the field, right now," President Trump said.
And with that polarizing statement, players unified and protested even more, prompting fans from coast to coast to weigh in.
John Hockreiner is a veteran and a die-hard Eagles fan.
"For them to take this venue and use it as their platform, to me, I think is disrespectful," Hockreiner said.
He says what he saw this past weekend should be done somewhere else.
"This is not their only platform. This is their job," Hockreiner said.
But other fans think otherwise.
Redskins fan Chip Ayres says the players deserve to use their platform to protest.
"I think people should respect the anthem and stand, but I also think that there's freedom of speech and I believe that they have the right to kneel," Ayres said.
President Trump tweeted about the protest several times. In one Tweet, he wrote: "The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race."
But around 70 percent of players in the NFL are African American. That's why Ravens fan Richard Fletcher says they should protest.
"I disagree. It's a race thing," Fletcher said.
It's an opinion Hockreiner says isn't Presiden Trump's intention.
"He's not against sports. He's not against athletes. He's not against color," Hockreiner said.
