NFL player Delanie Walker has shared details of death threats levelled at his family after he told fans to stay away from games if they disagree with the #TakeAKnee anthem protest.
The Tennessee Titans tight end attracted severe criticism for his stance which he outlined earlier this week.
“And the fans that don’t want to come to the games, OK, bye,” Walker said to the media.
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“I mean if you feel that’s something where we’re disrespecting you, don’t come to the games. You don’t have to,” Walker said. “No one is telling you to come to the game. It’s your freedom and your choice to do that.”
Walker and the entire Titans team remained in their locker room during the anthem before last Sunday’s clash with the Seattle Seahawks in Nashville.
The footballer responded to the death threats leveled at him and his son in a post on Facebook.
“The racist and violent words directed at me and my son only serve as another reminder that our country remains divided and full of hateful rhetoric,” the tight end wrote.
“These words of hate will only fuel me in my efforts to continue my work reaching out to different community groups, listening to opposing voices, and honoring the men and women in the Armed Forces who risk their lives every day so that we may have this dialogue.”
Walker isn’t the only person on the receiving end of death threats in the aftermath of the game in Nashville.
Singer Meghan Linsey, who knelt while singing the national anthem, has told the Tennessean of the abuse she has received following that demonstration.
“I’ve been waking up with anxiety a lot and it’s hard to eat food and sleep, but other than that, I’m good,” Linsey said, “I feel like I did the right thing. I don’t have any regrets.”