Kelly Stafford, wife of Detroit Lions quarterback: Everyone should stand during anthem

With Colin Kaepernick still out of an NFL job and more pro football players choosing to kneel or sit during the pregame national anthem, Kelly Stafford decided to speak up.

The wife of Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford went on Instagram this morning to voice her thoughts on the anthem, what it means to her and what she thinks players should do when it plays before NFL games.

Kelly Stafford began by quoting from Mitch Albom's column in the Free Press on Sunday about anthem protests.

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"I've been hesitant to talk about this, as I know I will get backlash from it," Stafford writes on Instagram, "but I believe we can stand and show our unity against everything that doesn't represent what this flag stands for. Let's stand united against terrorists, against racism, against white supremacists, against killing of cops, against police brutality, against sex slave trafficking.. against anything that is not the ideal for this country. 

"Let's unite in the fact that God made us all unique and different and that is something we should cherish. You can disagree with me and that is totally ok.. let's use this forum to discuss (not yell at each other) and listen to one another. "

Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, drew headlines last fall when he began sitting during the pregame national anthem, saying he was doing it to protest the racial injustices of America. This began a national conversation about whether players should stand or sit during the anthem and what the U.S. flag means.

Though more players joined his cause as the 2016 NFL season went on, Kaepernick drew plenty of criticism on top of praise for his protest. After leaving the 49ers in the off-season, no NFL team has signed Kaepernick, even as a back-up.

Last year, supermodel and St. Joseph native Kate Upton spoke out against players kneeling during the anthem, calling it "unacceptable" and saying "we should support each other."

Contact Brian Manzullo: bmanzullo@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@BrianManzullo.

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