Mike Pence Leaves Colts Game For Kneeling During National Anthem

INDIANAPOLIS, IN — Vice President Mike Pence, who was in his home state of Indiana Sunday to catch the Colts play the San Francisco 49ers at Lucas Oil Stadium, left the game when players on the 49ers took a knee during the national anthem.

Nearly two dozen 49ers knelt during as "The Star Spangled Banner" was played, while no Colts could be seen protesting. Colin Kaepernick played for the 49ers when he started the protests last year against what he perceives as wrongdoings and the oppression of black people and other people of color. Players for the 49ers have consistently protested during the national anthem by taking a knee and the kneeling on Sunday was not unexpected.

"I left today's Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem," Pence tweeted. He had earlier posted a photo to Twitter of him and his wife, Karen Pence, dressed in Colts' blue that appeared to have been taken at an earlier game.

RAW: Pence Family Leaving Colts Game After Protest

While the protests have become a common site during NFL games, President Trump's attacks on players who choose to do so have brought a new level of scrutiny to them, and players have since taken to protesting in larger numbers than usual. The protests are to take a stand against racial injustice in the United States, but the White House has painted it as a matter of disrespecting the American flag and military troops.

In a series of follow-up tweets, Pence said that "at a time when so many Americans are inspiring our nation with their courage, resolve, and resilience...now more than ever, we should rally around our Flag and everything that unites us," the vice president wrote in two tweets.

"While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, I don't think it's too much to ask NFL players to respect the Flag and our National Anthem," he continued. Pence issued a statement using much of the same language and added that he stands with the president and with the soldiers and will "always stand for our Flag and our National Anthem."

He also posted a photo of him and his wife standing with their hands over their hearts for the national anthem.

Some questioned whether Pence had planned the walkout. "Pence was in town to upstage Peyton Manning," sports columnist Gregg Doyel wrote for The Indianapolis Star. "What, you think he didn’t know the 49ers would kneel on Sunday? Pence knew."

The Colts unveiled a statue of Manning outside Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday to honor his career.

The president has made the wave of protests a central issue he wants to focus on and suggested that the NFL implement a rule that prohibits players from kneeling during the national anthem. The administration has also said the issue is not about race, though Kaepernick and others have been clear they are protesting racial injustice and police brutality against people of color.

Eric Reid, who along with Kaepernick first took a knee in 2016, explained the rationale behind the protests in an op-ed in The New York Times, making it clear that the protests were in no way intended to disrespect the flag or the military.

"It baffles me that our protest is still being misconstrued as disrespectful to the country, flag and military personnel," Reid wrote. "We chose it because it’s exactly the opposite. It has always been my understanding that the brave men and women who fought and died for our country did so to ensure that we could live in a fair and free society, which includes the right to speak out in protest."

Reid wrote that before he and Kaepernick first took a knee, the two spoke about the many issues facing their communities, including "systemic oppression against people of color, police brutality and the criminal justice system." After hours of discussion, Reid said the pair decided that they should kneel during the national anthem, using the platform given to them by the NFL to speak for those who cannot.

"I asked @VP Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled, disrespecting our country," the president tweeted after Pence had left the stadium. "I am proud of him and @SecondLady Karen."

Leaving the game on Sunday is not the first time Pence has been caught up in the midst of a protest at an event. After the election in November, Pence was booed on Broadway as he watched the musical "Hamilton" in Manhattan. At the end of the show, the cast attempted to deliver a message to Pence as he fled the theater. In May, a handful of students walked out of their graduation at Notre Dame University in South Bend where Pence was delivering the commencement speech.

Photo: Vice President Mike Pence waves to fans before an NFL football game between the Indianapolis Colts and the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in Indianapolis. Photo by Michael Conroy/Associated Press