Robert Kraft Says He'll Respect Peaceful Protests During National Anthem

FOXBOROUGH, MA — Patriots owner Robert Kraft has opted not to take the Jerry Jones approach of "stand or get fired" when it comes to the National Anthem.

In an interview this week with the BBC, Kraft said called President Donald Trump's comments calling for NFL teams to fire players who took a knee for the anthem "inflammatory" adding that he will respect anyone who engages in a peaceful protest.

"The greatest enemy in sport is division from within and I personally feel it's very important to respect our flag and anthem, but I also respect the right of people in this country to make statements or protest peacefully in a way that's appropriate to them," Kraft said.

The remarks come the same week as speculation rose about the league making a rule that would make it mandatory to stand. Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, said he would fire any player that refused to stand for the anthem.

I try to bring unity and things together and part of that is respecting how other people think, even if its genuinely even if it's different than the way I speak. The way you build success is to let people be themselves," Kraft said.

Kraft's statements regarding the protests has been surprising given his relationship with Trump. Prior to his presidency, Trump has been seen on the Patriots sideline and inside the team's locker room. Kraft has also spent time at Trump Tower and on Air Force One.

About 20 members of the Patriots took a knee prior to their game against the Houston Texans in protests of Trumps' comments. The next week against the Carolina Panthers, the team stood with one hand over their heart and an armed draped over a teammate's shoulder.

In non-anthem protest news, Kraft also told the BBC that he is still intrigued by the idea of buying a Premier League team, but the lack of a salary cap is a turn off. Kraft, who also owns the New England Revolution, showed interest in buying Liverpool in 2005, but the team was later sold to George Gillett and Tom Hicks in 2007 and then to Red Sox owner John Henry and the Fenway Sports Group in 2010.

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