Steelers Coach Critical of Alejandro Villanueva for Respecting National Anthem

Steelers Coach Critical of Alejandro Villanueva for Respecting National Anthem
Alejandro Villanueva #78 of the Pittsburgh Steelers stands by himself in the tunnel for the national anthem prior to the game against the Chicago Bears on September 24, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
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Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin disagreed with Alejandro Villanueva’s decision to come out of the tunnel to stand during the national anthem while all the other players and coaching staff were reportedly in the locker room. However, some photos show them just under the tunnel area, some with their hands on their hearts, but mostly out of public view.

Villanueva is a U.S. veteran Army Ranger who served three tours in Afghanistan. After the move, sales of his jersey jumped up to the top spot on Fanatics.com and NFLShop.com. But it turns out Tomlin wasn’t prepared for the move. Tomlin spoke with his players before the game about how their organization would handle the national anthem.
Colin Fredericson
Colin Fredericson
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Colin is a New York-based reporter. He covers Entertainment, U.S., and international news. Besides writing for online news outlets he has worked in online marketing and advertising, done voiceover work, and has a background in sound engineering and filmmaking. His foreign language skills include Spanish and Chinese.