Aaron Rodgers wants to make sure that demonstrations during the national anthem are not just limited to the teams on the field.
After the vast majority of the Green Bay Packers partook in a team-wide protest by linking arms during the national anthem on Sunday, Rodgers said he was happy to see the display of unity from his team, while also being wary of how it was perceived by others.
"Outside the building, I think the message has been diluted a little bit and it's been kind of taken away from what we were trying to do: show a united front, guys linking up together," Rodgers told the media on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Jason Wilde. "It's never been about the military or our men and women in uniform. Like I said after the game, we love and support them, and each of us I'm sure has done charity events for them."
"This is about equality. This is about unity and love and growing together as a society and starting a conversation around something that may be a little bit uncomfortable for people."
Related: Rodgers, Brady post images with teammates citing 'unity' and 'love'
With the Packers set to be in the national spotlight when they host the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football, Rodgers said the team will continue to show unity by linking arms - and asked fans to do the same.
"We've got to come together and talk about these things and grow as a community, as a connected group of individuals in our society, and we're going to continue to show love and unity," Rodgers said. "This week we're going to ask the fans to join in as well and come together and show that we can be connected and we can grow together."
The Packers released a statement from their players Tuesday night, reiterating Rodgers' request.
… Those of us joining arms on Thursday will be different in so many ways, but one thing that binds us together is that we are all individuals who want to help make our society, our country and our world a better place. We believe that in diversity there can be UNI-versity. Intertwined, we represent the many people who helped build this country, and we are joining together to show that we are ready to continue to build …
