CHARLOTTE, N.C. — From NASCAR to the National Basketball Association, the uproar over professional football players kneeling during the national anthem is touching nearly every professional sport in the United States.
The controversy sparked Friday when President Donald Trump said that National Football League players who disrespect the flag should be fired. His comment was in reference to Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem in protest of police shootings of black people.
On Sunday, players inside Bank of America Stadium and several other games nationwide took a knee, locked arms in solidarity or didn’t even take the field during the national anthem.
The Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers stayed in the locker room during the anthem.
[RELATED: Panthers fans react to NFL players protesting Trump, kneeling for national anthem]
Panthers owner said politicizing the game is damaging.
Panthers coach Ron Rivera said there may be a better venue for protest, but he supports free speech.
"A lot of these players want to stand up against bigotry and injustice," Rivera said. “These young men, they believe and support in the military and what they all stand for.”
The NFL commissioner called Trump’s statement divisive and said players were exercising their rights.
There was similar support for baseball players and basketball players.
Hornets owner Michael Jordan released a statement affirming players’ rights to express themselves.
"You can see that people are coming together and that's important," Hornets player Kemba Walker said.
Some NASCAR owners said they would fire drivers who did not stand during the anthem.
Trump tweeted that he was proud of NASCAR and its fans for the decision to stand up and not disrespect the country or the flag.
But not long after that, Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted a quote from President John F. Kennedy saying, “Not all Americans are granted rights to peaceful protests. Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent resolution inevitable.”
"Every time I see that flag waving and every time I hear the National Anthem, I'm putting my hand over my heart, and I'm going it respect this country and that flag and what it stands for," NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon.
NASCAR released a statement on Monday:
“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.”
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