Ben Roethlisberger Wishes Steelers Approached Anthem Protest 'Differently

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger expressed regret about his team's decision to remain in the tunnel during the national anthem prior to Sunday's 23-17 defeat to the Chicago Bears.ESPN.com's Darren Rovell shared Roethlisberger's comments:Steelers offensive linemanAlejandro Villanueva, who served three tours of duty with the United States Army in Afghanistan, was the only member of the team who stood outside the tunnel for the anthem.Jacob Klingerof PennLive.com reported the Steelers held a vote over what to do during the anthem, and standing in the tunnel won by a "narrow majority." Steelers offensive guard Ramon Foster saidVillanueva's teammates supported his choice to stand separate from the rest of the team, but James Harrison offered a different sentiment."We thought we were all in attention with the same agreement, obviously," the Steelers linebacker said. "But, I guess we weren't."In a statement to CBS (via Pro Football Talk'sMichael David Smith), Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said he and his team were "not going to play politics":"People shouldnt have to choose. If a guy wants to go about his normal business and participate in the anthem, he shouldnt have to be forced to choose sides. If a guy feels the need to do something, he shouldnt be separated from his teammate who chooses not to. So were not participating today. Thats our decision. Were going to be 100 percent. We came here to play a football game. Thats our intent."Many teams throughout the NFL demonstrated during the anthem before Sunday's games, whether by symbolically locking arms in a sign of unity, deciding to kneel or declining to appear for "The Star-Spangled Banner" altogether.Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernickstarted the movementlast season to protest against police brutality and social injustice, and players became more outspoken after critical comments by President Donald Trump.On Friday, Trumpsaid at a rallyin Alabama that NFL owners should "get that son of a b---h off the field right now" when a player refuses to stand for the anthem, and he doubled down on that stance in apairoftweetsSaturday.
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