Steelers offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva provided one of the most enduring images from a surreal Sunday in the NFL, as the former U.S. Army Ranger stood by himself on the sideline during the national anthem.
That act not only sparked debate, it's sparked a boom in the sales of Villanueva's jersey.
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On Fanatics.com, Villanueva's No. 78 jersey has been the best-selling jersey in the NFL the past day across all of its retail platforms, according to multiple media reports.
Villanueva, a West Point graduate who served three tours in Afghanistan, received a Bronze Star for his service. As Villanueva stood for the anthem, hand over his heart, the rest of his teammates remained in the locker room. The move caught Steelers coach Mike Tomlin by surprise.
"Like I said, I was looking for a hundred percent participation," Tomlin told reporters Sunday. "We're going to be respectful of our football team. Man, these are divisive times in the United States. and it's a shame, but it is, but we're not politicians. We're coaches and professional athletes.
"If those of us are individuals choose to participate in politics in some way, I'm going to be supportive of that, but when we come out of locker rooms, we come out of locker rooms to play football games, and to be quite honest with you I didn't appreciate our football team being drug into politics this weekend."