By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Prior to the final game of the preseason for the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday, rookie linebacker Myke Tavarres will sit during the national anthem.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to sit during the national anthem before their game on Friday, taking a stand against what he views as the current state of the country.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick said. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” [CBS Sports Philadelphia]
Players, fans and coaches across the NFL are each taking a different stance on the matter and Eagles rookie linebacker Myke Tavarres told ESPN that he plans to sit during the national anthem on Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field. He was considering doing it on Saturday night in Indianapolis as well.
“Oh, I thought about it,” Tavarres told ESPN.com. “Believe me, I definitely thought about it. “And usually I’m front and center on the line with the rest of the guys, and that’s since pre-K all the way up. Saturday’s game, I stepped back, I was in the background, and it didn’t feel right to me at all, and so I will be taking a stand — or sitting down — for the fourth game.”
“We’ve got an issue in this country in this day and age, and I feel like somebody needs to step up and we all need to step up,” Tavarres said via ESPN.com. “We’ve got that right. There’s just a lot going on that people don’t want to talk about, and I feel like us as athletes, we’re looked at as role models. And I feel like with Colin Kaepernick, he’s doing a great job for standing up in what he believes in, and most people may not like that, but that’s his opinion, he’s entitled to it, and I respect him for doing it.”[CBS Sports Philadelphia]
Tavarres is an undrafted free agent out of the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas.
