National Football League Season kicked off Thursday night, with Kansas City Chiefs player Marcus Peters taking a seat for the national anthem.
NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter said he would not use the national anthem to protest, although he supports the players' right to protest.
"I'm not going to disrespect the flag," Carter told host Stuart Varney. "But I would take that opportunity to try to be able to do it in some form or fashion, and I do believe in supporting my teammates."
Former 49ers player Colin Kaepernick began taking a knee last year as "The Star-Spangled Banner" was sung before games as a sign of protest against what he saw as an epidemic of police brutality towards black men. Since then some of his teammates and other players have followed his example, some sitting, one even eating a banana as others stood for the anthem.
A poll by J.D. Power suggested that the national anthem protests were the main reason fans tuned out of the games, with 26 percent reporting this as their reason.
"They don't have a problem with the military," Carter assured, saying the players are simply trying to bring awareness to a cause.
"I think taking the knee during the national anthem hurts the game, it hurts NFL," Varney commented. Bailey Comment: They're not taking a knee to their million dollar paychecks.
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