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Nathan Phillips 'Angry' But Forgives Sandmann, Covington Boys

a protester leads a native american prayer with a traditional drum outside the catholic diocese of covington .

A protestor leads a Native American prayer with a traditional drum outside the Catholic Diocese of Covington Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, in Covington, Ky. The diocese in has apologized after videos emerged showing students mocking Native Americans after a rally in Washington. (John Minchillo/AP)

By Sandy Fitzgerald | Thursday, 24 January 2019 09:30 AM EST

Native American activist Nathan Phillips said Thursday he's still angry about being stared down by Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann and the events that took place last Saturday at the Lincoln Memorial, but he's able to forgive those involved.

However, he told NBC's Savannah Guthrie in a "Today" interview that he found the comments made by Sandmann on her show Wednesday to be "coached and written up for him" and he initially was not able to watch more than a few seconds of the story.

"Coached and written up for him; insincerity, lack of responsibility," said Phillips. "Those are the words I came up with." But after praying about the matter, Phillips said he woke up with "this forgiving heart. I forgive him."

On Wednesday, Sandmann told Guthrie that he was smiling, not smirking as many have claimed, while Phillips chanted and hit a prayer drum in front of him, and he said he "can't say that I'm sorry for listening to him and standing there."

Phillips said he thinks Sandmann owes many people apologies, not only him, "because of the tomahawk chops, the mocking..."[Sandmann] was the leader of that."

Phillips had been in Washington for the Indigenous People's March and Sandmann and other Covington students were there for the March for Life. When members of the Hebrew Israelites confronted the boys, Phillips said he tried to defuse the situation, but found himself "blocked" by Sandmann and others in his party surrounded by all sides.

Covington High School was closed Tuesday because of threats of violence, and Phillips said he's also been threatened, but not until the students started saying they were being threatened.

Phillips also clarified he was a U.S. Marine Corps reservist during the Vietnam War, responding to questions that have surfaced about his military service. He added that he has never said he ever went to Vietnam.