Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy told Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly he doesn't have to apologize for his controversial remarks regarding the protests held during the national anthem.
McCoy continued stretching during the anthem, drawing the ire of the former Bills legend, who was furious that the Bills didn't stand prior to Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos, sounding off on Instagram and the radio.
"I like LeSean McCoy, don't get me wrong, but I totally, 100 percent I disagree with what he did," Kelly said Monday on 97 Rock in Buffalo. "You want to kneel? Fine. But when you go and do what he did yesterday, that sort of bummed me out. And I lost a lot of respect for him. ... You want to kneel? That's your prerogative. I would never do that. I will always stand, thank the good Lord for everything I got. But when you disrespect the way he did and just go by his everyday duty in the national anthem being sung? Uh-uh. I won't go for that."
McCoy said there's no animosity between him and Kelly, however.
"Like I texted him, he said some things to the media that he probably could have said to me, but it doesn't really matter to me," McCoy said, according to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News. "I like Jim Kelly. He texted me and I just told him, 'Hey, you're human. People have their own opinions. And what you said? You don't have to apologize for it. I don't think you're wrong. That's how you felt, I understand. You're human.'
"I told him exactly, 'My respect for you hasn't changed. It's still very high.' He was a hell of a player and I respect him when I met him and even the relationship we've had so far. It didn't affect me at all."
It appears McCoy is trying to resolve any conflict with Kelly, arguably the most beloved player in franchise history, amid one of the most contentious political climates in recent memory.
