A day after becoming the first NHL player to protest during the playing of the national anthem, Lightning forward J.T. Brown revealed Sunday via Twitter that he has received death threats.
Brown began his post with a quote from a speech Martin Luther King Jr. recited in Selma, Ala.
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
— Jt brownov (@JTBrown23) October 8, 2017
-Martin Luther King Jr. pic.twitter.com/Ql2vEFwl5E
Brown went to say that his protest has never been about the military or disrespecting the flag, but rather about police brutality, racial injustice and inequality in this country.
"It is somethng that I, as well as many others, feel needs to be addressed," he said. "I love my country, but that doesn't mean I cannot ackowledge that it is not perfect."
Shortly after he raised his fist in Tampa Bay's season opener on Saturday, Brown told reporters he recognized there might be some negative backlash, but "In my heart, I know I did what was right."