KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- As local KC diners were dishing out hearty servings of burgers and fries, its patrons were dishing up the dirt on the latest controversy in the NFL.
"The American flag is a symbol of a lot of things to a lot of people," said one man.
Over the past year, some NFL players have taken a knee during the national anthem in protest of racial injustices in America. The situation blew up last week when President Trump said that any player kneeling during the anthem should be fired. He went on to encourage NFL owners to "Get that son of a ***** off the field."
The following Sunday, a few protesting players turned into dozens, kneeling or locking arms, or not present on the field at all. Many NFL owners and coaches released statements expressing disappointment with the president's words.
41 Action News found a variety of different opinions throughout the metro Monday. But we wanted to know what people are the most fired up about - is it disrespecting our nation's flag, or what the players are protesting?
"Freedom of speech. You have the right to say whatever you want to say," said Mitchell Hill, who is neutral on the issue.
RELATED: Several NFL owners denounce Trump's statements
We found opinions across the board at Town Topic in Midtown.
"This country is very divided at this time and we all see it every day. It's unfortunate. But I really think that if they need to make a stand, they feel it's right, yes, I support what they're doing," diner Maria Chaurand said.
Rick Olson said kneeling is disrespectful, and football fans who disagree with the protesting should stay home and let the ratings drop.
"Fans are the ones that gave them [players] that platform. So, they're trying to speak for their opinion and, really, the fans are the ones that put them in the place that they're at," Olson said.
He went on to say, "they think it's about the issue they're trying to protest, but I think it's about the flag."
"I think there are more creative ways than desecrating our flag," another diner Johnny Harp said.
Employees at Wolfe-Es restaurant in KCK said the controversy was the topic of conversation during the morning rush.
One diner, Bob Wilson, told us this, "I think the NFL players are justified. They have an opinion, they're welcome to express it."
Many said it's not about the flag.
"I don't think they're protesting the national anthem. I think what they're doing is using it as a platform to get some attention to what's really going on in America," Robert James said.
Across town at Lutfi's Fried Fish, Keshia Drew spoke passionately about what the protesting means for her.
"The things that my grandfather stood for meant something. And if nothing else, we need to let them know, up there in the White House, that we, these little people that y'all forget about, we stand tall," Drew said.
Drew also reacted to President Trump's speech, saying that if every protesting player was fired there wouldn't be a football game.
The NFL said they won't punish the players who protested.
