Vice President Mike Pence leaves Colts game after 49ers kneel for national anthem

Vice President Mike Pence left the Colts’ game against the 49ers on Sunday after players took a knee during the national anthem.

He tweeted why he felt the need to leave in a string of tweets:

Pence also had a statement prepared, and tweeted that out as well:

President Donald Trump tweeted following Pence leaving and issuing his statement:

The Colts and 49ers have both had players kneel during the 2017 season. On Sunday, the Colts linked arms during the anthem, while at least 23 members of the 49ers took a knee during the anthem.

Eric Reid of the 49ers was one of the first players to join Colin Kaepernick in 2016, when the movement started. He wrote an op-ed in the New York Times explaining that he and Kaepernick kneeled for the anthem to protest inequality and oppression that people of color in the United States face.

Here’s part of what Reid wrote:

I approached Colin the Saturday before our next game to discuss how I could get involved with the cause but also how we could make a more powerful and positive impact on the social justice movement. We spoke at length about many of the issues that face our community, including systemic oppression against people of color, police brutality and the criminal justice system. We also discussed how we could use our platform, provided to us by being professional athletes in the N.F.L., to speak for those who are voiceless.

After hours of careful consideration, and even a visit from Nate Boyer, a retired Green Beret and former NFL player, we came to the conclusion that we should kneel, rather than sit, the next day during the anthem as a peaceful protest. We chose to kneel because it’s a respectful gesture. I remember thinking our posture was like a flag flown at half-mast to mark a tragedy.

It baffles me that our protest is still being misconstrued as disrespectful to the country, flag, and military personnel. We chose it because it’s exactly the opposite. It has always been my understanding that the brave men and women who fought and died for our country did so to ensure that we could live in a fair and free society, which includes the right to speak out in protest.

After the game, Reid said he felt what Pence did was a PR stunt.

The NFLPA responded with a statement supporting the players:

The Colts announced on Friday that the team, along with their players would create the Colts Players Fund for Equality. The fund supports “charities to promote equality, improve relationships between law enforcement and the community, and provide opportunities for minorities.”

Many demonstrations during the national anthem have taken place since President Donald Trump made comments at an Alabama rally in September. Trump said that NFL players who kneeled for the anthem were “sons of bitches” that needed to be fired by owners.