<P> Discussion continued throughout August 2017 . Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron said, "I think he's getting a raw deal" from the NFL . That same month, Pro Football Hall of Famer and longtime civil rights activist Jim Brown, who a year earlier supported Kaepernick "100 percent", now criticized him, suggesting Kaepernick ought to decide whether to be an athlete or an activist . "I'm an American," said Brown . "I don't desecrate my flag and my national anthem....This is my country, and I'll work out the problems, but I'll do it in an intelligent manner ." </P> <P> Jim Harbaugh, Kaepernick's former coach, penned a strong statement of support for him as part of Time's "100 Most Influential People" series . Harbaugh wrote, "His willingness to take a position at personal cost is now part of our American story . How lucky for us all and for our country to have among our citizens someone as remarkable as Colin Kaepernick ." </P> <P> NASCAR team owners Richard Petty and Richard Childress have supported Trump and said that they would fire drivers and employees who would not stand for the national anthem . Petty said, "Anybody that don't stand up for the anthem ought to be out of the country . Period ." Childress said, "It'll get you a ride on a Greyhound bus" if anyone on his team protested the anthem . Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., however, expressed support for the peaceful protests, quoting President John F. Kennedy, "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable ." NASCAR released a statement on September 25 in response to the protests that said, "Sports are a unifying influence in our society, bringing people of differing backgrounds and beliefs together . Our respect for the national anthem has always been a hallmark of our pre-race events . Thanks to the sacrifices of many, we live in a country of unparalleled freedoms and countless liberties, including the right to peacefully express one's opinion ." </P> <P> Jemele Hill, an ESPN anchor who called Trump a "white supremacist" in a series of tweets earlier in the month, tweeted, "Just so we're clear: the president's comments will only incite more player protests, not quell them ." following Trump's initial response to the protests . Hill was later put on a two - week suspension for "a second violation of our social media guidelines", after Hill suggested people direct their disagreements towards advertisers of Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, after Jones stated he would bench any player who protested the national anthem on October 9, 2017 . </P>

Which nfl team did not kneel for the national anthem