The conversation around free speech and football started last year by Colin Kaepernick has reignited, and now it’s pitting the NFL against the President, with the National Anthem in the middle.

On September 24, Trump tweeted that those who “[disrespect] our flag and country” should be faced with the punishment of “fire and suspend.” He continued to Tweet his opinion regarding the controversy, speculating that “NFL attendance and ratings are WAY DOWN.”

Prior to his tweets, during a rally in Alabama, Trump encouraged fans to boycott games in which they see players protesting.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b**** off the field right now, out, he’s fired. He’s fired,'” Trump said on Friday, Sept. 22.

The divisive conflict began a year ago,  when then San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick protested racial inequality by not standing for the National Anthem. Kaepernick’s decision to take a knee was not his first protest against racial oppression and inequality, though it was the first to gain mass media attention and start the conversation regarding free speech and the right to protest.

In a 2016 interview on ESPN.com, Kaepernick said, “This stand wasn’t for me, this is because I’m seeing things happen to people that don’t have a voice, people that don’t have a platform to talk and have their voices heard, and effect change. So I’m in the position where I can do that and I’m going to do that for people that can’t.”

Trump’s brusque and immature responses have not gone without notice. Many Americans are shocked at his divisive stance.

One of these people is Evan Jackson, a freshman running back at Brown University in Providence, RI.

“[Donald Trump’s] statements show a blatant disregard for the feelings of African Americans and the shaky racial relations between Blacks and Whites that have plagued the United States since its creation,” said Jackson.

When he heard about Kaepernick’s initial protest in 2016, Jackson’s first reaction to seeing Kaepernick was both “respect and fear.” He added that he felt scared because he “knew that society may not react well to such a controversial action.”

Various NFL coaches have come forward stating they will not tolerate kneeling players, and will subsequently fire those who choose not to stand. Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin told CBS Sports, “Specifically, regarding the National Anthem and the protests, the one quote that I was informed of was, ‘You’re going to stand on the line with your hand on your heart and you’re going to sing the National Anthem.'”

This NFL anthem issue is not just isolated to professional and college football; it has trickled down to high school sports. Many student athletes have an opinion regarding the controversy.

Brandyn Jones, senior captain of the Williston Northampton football team, believes these coaches who threaten to fire protesting players are in the wrong. “They are morally in the wrong if money and ratings are more important than spreading a positive message, raising awareness for a cause, and standing up (or kneeling in this case) for what is right,” Brandyn added.

Though many players on the Williston football team share this opinion, the response is divided when it comes to choosing between protecting your job or letting your voice be heard for what you believe in. Post-graduate Braedan Heald said he would “protect [his] job on the team because [he] would have nothing without it” and that his “voice would then mean nothing.”

Coach Beaton has an all or nothing stance when it comes to his team’s participation in the National Anthem. Beaton said, “If the whole team wanted to do, then we’d do it. I just want the team to do it together and be unified.”