FOXBOROUGH- New England Patriots players stood together recently for the national anthem at Gillette Stadium, after many Patriots players kneeled the week prior.

The New England Patriots had 17 players kneel for the national anthem Sunday, Sept. 24. By doing so, they joined the hundreds in the NFL who are protesting the treatment of black people in the United States.

While former San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the trend of protesting during the national anthem last season, many NFL players decided to come together and take a knee during the anthem following President Donald Trump’s remarks that protestors of the flag should be “fired” and owners should “get that son of a bitch off the field.”

The Patriots did not get positive reactions by kneeling from fans. Many booed and screamed at the players to “stand up.”

After the game, participating players decided to speak up to how they felt about the protests.

Quarterback Tom Brady stated, “I’ve got a lot of love for my teammates, we go through a lot together. There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears. I don’t think it’s easy to play this sport. I mean, there’s a lot of guys that sacrifice a lot. I think you have a lot of respect for the guys who play, not only your own teammates but guys you play against. I mean, without them, it’s not a great game. So, it’s like I said. I believe in all of us coming together.”

Patriots Coach Bill Belichick, also released a statement of how he felt about his player’s protest.

“I have immense respect and admiration for our players, for how they conduct themselves professionally as New England Patriots and for how they represent themselves, their families and community as men. I have coached football for over four decades and one of the greatest things about being in this environment is the diversity of people, backgrounds, viewpoints and relationships we are fortunate to experience,” the statement read.

Continuing Belichick stated, “as with any large group of people, there is a variety of perspectives and opinions on many topics. Discussions occur between myself, individual players, groups and the entire team on an ongoing basis. They concern the team and other issues surrounding the team. I am going to keep the specifics of those conversations private. I will do what I feel is best for the team in my role as head coach and collectively, we will work together to find the best way to proceed.”

After all the controversy, just a week after the majority of the team kneeled, on Sunday, October 1, no players kneeled during the anthem. The Patriots, who played the Carolina Panthers, all stood during the national anthem in Foxborough.

The Patriots stood with their left arms on their teammates shoulders, and their right hands over their hearts.

After fans previously booed and screamed at the players, this week, fans