What I marvel at is when’s NFL player saying “our protest is not about the flag or the anthem...” Well hey Einstein, if you have to explain to me what your protest is about, as your choice of where and how to protest drowns out your message, maybe you should go back to the drawing board and figure out a better way to protest, bring attention to your actual cause, and actually try to sway others to see your point and agree that something has to change. This approach sets your cause backwards like a 15 yard penalty. We are now deaf to your cause.
So take a step back, stand for the Anthem with hand over your heart, have a press conference and appologize and say that to a room full of Police and fans and offer to replace the tickets out of your own fat wallets to every fan that burnt theirs in protest to your misguided actions as a gesture to make amends. Say it was a mistake, you are sorry, you learned something and want to make things OK again.
Then we can decide to forgive you or not. Americans are a forgiving lot, but that begins with a heart felt apology.
But it IS about the Anthem and the Flag. Coperdink said so at the first kneel-down.