Two Texas high school players have been thrown off their team after protesting during the national anthem, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Cedric Ingram-Lewis held his fist in the air, while his cousin Larry McCullough took a knee during the playing of the anthem before Victory & Praise Christian Academy took the field on Friday night.
Head Coach Ronnie Mitchem, a former Marine and pastor, ordered them to take off their uniforms and threw them off the team when the anthem had ended, according to the Chronicle.
The coach had warned players he did not want anyone to kneel.
"He told us that disrespect will not be tolerated," Lewis said. "He told us to take off our uniform and leave it there."
Mitchem said he believes kneeling during the anthem is offensive and offends veterans who have fought for this country.
"That was my point of view," Mitchem said. "Like I said, I'm a former Marine. That just doesn't fly and they knew that. I don't have any problem with those young men. We've had a good relationship. They chose to do that and they had to pay for the consequences."
Meanwhile, The Washington Post noted the College of the Ozarks, a Christian college in Branson, Missouri, has announced none of their athletic teams will compete against opponents whose players do not stand for the anthem.
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