A's Maxwell says he's received threats but won't stop kneeling

Support has poured in for Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell after he became the first baseball player to kneel for the national anthem Saturday, but he's also heard from people who aren't exactly wishing him well.

The rookie revealed to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle Sunday that he's received a variety of threats in the nearly 24 hours since he first took a knee, something he did once again before Sunday's game.

"Racial slurs for the most part. I've got some people who wish I got hurt indefinitely, wish I got suspended, little things," Maxwell said.

"I expected it. It's nothing different from what I dealt with in my life. Threats I get are part of the problem."

Maxwell also told The Associated Press that he hasn't reported any threats to police, and described those sending him negative messages as "'keyboard warriors.'"

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The 26-year-old - who was born on a U.S. military base in Germany while his father served in the armed forces - appears nonplussed by the threats that have come his way. He also confirmed that he'll continue to kneel for at least the balance of this season in order to protest inequality, and to raise awareness for his cause, regardless of how his actions' are perceived by others.

"What I'm doing is peaceful," he told Shea. "What I'm doing is for a meaning. People who throw hate my way are people who also don't understand there's a problem, and they choose not to understand. That's fine with me.

"The whole point of this is to inform people there is a problem. That's what all these actions are going on around the NFL and NBA and now on the baseball field. It's to inform people that there are people in this country being mistreated because of the color of their skin or where they come from or their heritage, and that's what why I'm doing it."