Maxwell: I was denied service by pro-Trump waiter for anthem protest

Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell - the only MLB player to kneel during the national anthem in 2017 in protest of racial discrimination - says he was denied service at a restaurant in his Alabama hometown by a pro-Trump waiter who took issue with his protest.

"I got racially profiled in my hometown the day I got home," Maxwell recently told TMZ Sports. "I wasn't even home four hours and I got denied service at lunch with our city councilman - who's also an African-American guy I went to high school with - because the dude recognized me as the guy that took a knee, and he voted for Trump and was at that Trump rally in Huntsville, Ala.

"He was like, 'You're the guy who took the knee? I voted for Trump and I stand for everything he stands for.'"

Related - Maxwell slams Trump for promoting prejudice: All he knows is 'life on a silver platter'

Following the exchange, Maxwell - who grew up in Harvest, Ala. - said his dining companion "had some words" with the restaurant manager, who then assigned another server to their table.

"That's where I'm from, man," Maxwell said. "And like I said, unless you're subject to it, you won't understand it, you won't feel it. But it's like, I'm 26 years old, I'm very respectful, I'm very educated, and it still happens, to this day."