Kansas City Chiefs star cornerback Marcus Peters has been sitting out the national anthem since last September and he wants to set the record straight to those who criticize him for it.
Peters recently came under fire for cursing at a fan who heckled him. The third-year pro has apologized for his remarks, though he doesn't feel his detractors know the real Peters, nor does he believe he needs to explain his decision to sit out the anthem.
"Nobody's gotta know my reason why I sit," Peters told Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. "Nobody's gotta know the reason why somebody chooses the religion they choose. Nobody's gotta know why I eat cereal instead of eating oatmeal in the morning."
Peters feels like - as an American - it's his right to choose to sit or stand. He's not trying to create division with his actions, rather point to the fact that he's free to be his own person.
"I ain't trying to get into a back-and-forth conversation of me trying to prove that I'm not being disrespectful or that I am being disrespectful toward the American flag," Peters said. "Man … come on, man. I'm an American, bruh.
"I'm an African-American that was born in this wonderful country that we all can live in. How about we start all protecting each (expletive) other and come together, you feel me? It will be better for it."
Peters' teammates say that the 24-year-old is misunderstood outside of the Chiefs locker room. He has shown leadership and accountability, and while some think his approach might create conflict, teammates appreciate Peters' bluntness.
"He's real, and he's honest," Linebacker Justin Houston said. "People on the outside of this locker room, they look at him and they may judge him. But everybody in this locker room knows who he is, and what he's about. And everybody in this locker room, they love the man. They ride for him."
