49ers' Lynch regrets calling anthem protests 'divisive'

John Lynch would like to clarify his stance on protests during the national anthem.

Speaking on the subject earlier in the week, the San Francisco 49ers general manager stated that players have the right to protest racial injustice in America and that he'll "always respect people's rights." However, he also characterized the practice as "divisive," giving rise to the perception he wouldn't tolerate players sitting for the national anthem.

"If I could take one thing back, I would have changed that word," Lynch said Friday on KNBR radio, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. "Because of the negative connotation. But I was really trying to make the point that our game should be a beacon for what can be."

Lynch had previously explained he sees football as a unifier of people of various ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds and pointed to a scene during Thursday night's preseason game in Philadelphia in which a white player put his arm around a black teammate who stood with a raised right fist.

"When I saw that picture of Chris Long and Malcolm Jenkins, I think that's exactly what I was speaking to and what I think is so great about football, of how I think our society can be and how it should be - of people coming together," Lynch said.

"When you're talking to your 10-year-old and you're trying to explain what's going on (in Charlottesville) - it's sad, it's disgusting, it's unbelievable that these things still exist. So I want to go a step further (and say) not only do I respect, but I understand the motivations of these players that are trying to do something about it. I want to be very clear with that, that's where my heart is."