Colin Kaepernick's decision to sit down while the national anthem was being played before the 49ers game on Friday has quickly become a hot-button issue across the country.
On one side of the spectrum, you have the people who believe that Kaepernick was well within his right to do what he did. On the other side, you have people who believe that Kaepernick's actions were an affront to everything that America stands for.
Kaepernick's actions during the national anthem have divided a lot of people, including NFL players. Many feel that he should have stood for the anthem, while many others understand why he did what he did.
Here's a small sample of player reaction from Twitter.
Giants offensive lineman Justin Pugh made it clear that no one has to worry about him pulling a Kaepernick.
I will be STANDING during the National Anthem tonight. Thank you to ALL (Gender,Race,Religion)that put your lives on the line for that flag
— Justin Pugh (@JustinPugh) August 27, 2016
Free agent quarterback T.J. Yates isn't on board with Kaepernick's stance.
It blows my mind how many people hate the country they live in.
— T.J. Yates (@TJ_Yates) August 27, 2016
Yates sent out that tweet shortly after he retweeted a tweet from Matt Hasselbeck that basically said Kaepernick was giving up on his shot to win the starting job in San Francisco.
Easy way to make sure you're NOT the starting QB on opening day. #Sept11https://t.co/DyQrIOGGO5
— Matthew Hasselbeck (@Hasselbeck) August 27, 2016
Tyler Polumbus, who announced his retirement in April, thinks Kaepernick needs to find a better way to protest if he's unhappy with America.
Activists changed USA for better but have to associate Nat Anthem w/ military that die for ur right to protest. Stand up. Find another way
— Tyler Polumbus (@Tyler_Polumbus) August 27, 2016
Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert also weighed by thanking everyone "who defends the flag that really matters, even for the people who don't appreciate it."
The interesting thing about Kaeprenick's situation there seems to be a divide between races over what he did, something that free agent linebacker Emmanuel Acho pointed out on Twitter.
Not condoning it, but You'll be hard pressed to find an African American that chastises @Kaepernick7 for his actions https://t.co/8VOAVc6ltJ
— Emmanuel Acho (@thEMANacho) August 27, 2016
As Acho mentioned, most African-American players who spoke up on Twitter understood why Kaepernick did what he did, including Russell Okung and Arian Foster.
Kapernick is well within his rights to do what he did. I'm not saying I agree but I do understand why he felt morally obligated in his acts.
— Russell Okung (@RussellOkung) August 27, 2016
the flag represents freedom. the freedom to choose to stand or not. that's what makes this country beautiful. ... https://t.co/Ev5D9ACe78
— Feeno (@ArianFoster) August 27, 2016
he has the right to choose not to stand. just as you have the right to disagree with his stance. round and round we go.
— Feeno (@ArianFoster) August 27, 2016
you can't be be selective and dictate what freedoms this country stands for. you're free to have any religious/political views you feel.
— Feeno (@ArianFoster) August 27, 2016
You also have the tweet below, which was retweeted by Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills.
People mad Kaepernick sat during the national anthem in protest, but they aren't mad about the injustice he's protesting. That's the point.
— Sam White (@samwhiteout) August 27, 2016
As you can see, NFL players are just as divided as the rest of the country when it comes to Kaepernick's actions.