Ex-Patriots Star Matt Light 'Ashamed' to See New England Players Take Knee During Anthem

Former Patriots star Matt Light said he was "very ashamed" to see 16 New England players take a knee during the national anthem on Sunday.

Matt Light.
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Image via Getty/Tom Szczerbowski/Contributor

Matt Light.

On Sunday afternoon, the Patriots were one of the many NFL teams that took part in a league-wide protest during the national anthem in light of the comments that Donald Trump made about NFL players at a rally late last week. In total, 16 Patriots players took a knee during the anthem, while many others, including Tom Brady, locked arms.

Some Patriots fans booed the players who took a knee prior to their game against the Texans—and former Patriots star Matt Light, who won three Super Bowls with the team, said he didn’t blame the fans one bit for doing it. In an interview with the Boston Herald, Light ripped into the 16 players who chose to take a knee and said he was "ashamed" to see his former team embrace the protest.

"If you think that it’s OK to take a knee during our national anthem and disrespect openly the national anthem, you are wrong," Light said. "I don’t care if you have a 'but what about' or a 'it’s because of,' that doesn’t matter."

Light added that a protest like the one that took place on Sunday "would have never happened during my time" in New England. He also suggested that other former Patriots feel the same way he does. "As a guy that’s been there and helped set up the Patriot Way so they can walk in there and do what they do, it’s beyond disheartening," he said. "It’s the first time I’ve ever been ashamed to be a Patriot. And I promise you I’m not the only one."

Light later said that he was "really surprised" to see Patriots head coach Bill Belichick allow players to protest.

There are, unfortunately, some people who are agreeing with Light’s comments right now. But there are also plenty who have come out and said that they are just as "ashamed" of Light as he is of the current Patriots players.

Light spent his entire NFL career playing for the Patriots from 2001 through 2011.

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