Alejandro Villanueva did not intend to alienate teammates as the only Pittsburgh Steelers player to stand for the national anthem on Sunday.
The left tackle and former Army Ranger came outside the locker room to stand for the anthem before the game in Chicago, thinking his teammates were right behind him.
"Unfortunately I threw my teammates under the bus, unintentionally," Villanueva told the media on Monday, according to CBS Pittsburgh. "Every single time I see that picture of me standing by myself I feel embarrassed."
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Villanueva also took the blame for making head coach Mike Tomlin - who decided players would stay in the locker room during the anthem - look like he didn't have control of the team.
"I made coach Tomlin look bad, and that is my fault, and my fault only," Villanueva said. "For anybody who thinks Coach Tomlin is not as patriotic as you can get in America, I’m offended by that."
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The Steelers are planning to take the field before next week's game after the mix-up on Sunday.
“We as a team tried to figure it out, obviously we butchered it, I’m not gonna pretend I have some kind of righteous voice,” Villanueva added. "Every single one of my teammates is extremely supportive and extremely patriotic. I can honestly say that."
