By now youve heard about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refusing to stand for the national anthem. He has said hell continue to sit until he sees a significant change in the treatment of people of color in our country.Reactions to Kaepernicks protest have been swift and strong, with many seeming to condemn the act without bothering to listen to the motivation.Some complained about him criticizing a country that has afforded him the opportunity to make millions of dollars playing football. Kaepernick said hes not speaking for himself but for those without a platform: Ive been blessed to be able to get this far and have the privilege of being in the NFL and making the kind of money I make and enjoy luxuries like that. I cant look in the mirror and see other people dying in the street that should have the same opportunities that Ive had and say, you know what, I can live with myself.Others have claimed that Kaepernicks act was disrespectful to U.S. troops. Kaepernick said he has great respect for our military, which has had his family and friends among its ranks. They fight for freedom, they fight for the people, they fight for liberty and justice, for everyone. Thats not happening. People are dying in vain because this country isnt holding their end of the bargain up.Ever since the story broke Friday night, it seems everyones been eager to give a take. NFL coaches and players -- including Drew Brees -- have weighed in with their criticisms of the act, the message or both. Some players have said they support his message, but not the forum.The NFL communitys discussions about Kaepernicks actions stand in stark contrast to the responses many players and coaches have given when asked about domestic abuse in the NFL. Some players reacted strongly to the video of Ray Rice knocking out his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City elevator. Some said theyd rather not have Greg Hardy in their locker room after photos surfaced of his then-girlfriends visible bruising the night of his alleged assault. But for the most part, when asked about incidents of domestic violence -- even those documented in photos or video -- players stay mum or claim they dont have enough information to criticize.Dr. Eric M. Carter, an associate professor of sociology at Georgetown College in Kentucky, spoke to the New York Times about the relative silence among pro athletes when it comes to hot-button issues like the Rice video. Why dont we see more collective action among athletes? said Carter. Because theyve got too much to lose individually, or at least they perceive they have too much to lose individually.Carter interviewed over 100 players for his 2009 book, Boys Gone Wild: Fame, Fortune and Deviance Among Professional Football Players and said job security is a big reason players keep quiet. I think its part of that We all have short careers, weve got to get what we want right now mentality. Weve got to protect ourselves, in that sense, Carter told the Times. Maybe it comes off as protecting their teammates, which is what we would all like to think, that theres this real social bond that exists among these guys, but maybe not so much as youd think.Were seeing that again now with Giants kicker Josh Brown, who has been suspended one game after a May 2015 arrest on a charge of assault in the fourth degree/domestic violence, for which he was suspended one game by the NFL on Wednesday. Browns ex-wife told police that he had been physically violent with her in more than 20 instances over the past several years.Said Giants defensive end Jason Pierre Paul: Were all family around here. People have their own problems to handle. Hes still our brother and we look past it.Said Giants QB Eli Manning: I dont think there is a whole lot to say. To the team, if Josh wants to say something, he can explain his case. I dont know a whole lot of details about what happened. I know hes been suspended and thats about all I know.Said Giants guard Justin Pugh: Obviously, you have to be there for your teammate. I dont want to get too into it because I dont know all the details ... but all we can do is support our teammate and make sure were there for him.Pugh did get into the Kaepernick situation, though, tweeting about how hell be sure to stand for the anthem.Ben McAdoo, who said shortly after taking over the Giants head-coaching gig that he wouldnt tolerate domestic violence, has made one statement on Browns abusive incident: I do support Josh as a man, a father and a player.Yet McAdoo had plenty to say about Kaepernicks protest on Monday, including this: Id be disappointed if one of our guys chose not to stand. Kaepernick speaking up for those without a voice is disappointing, but Brown earns McAdoos full support. Huh.It may not be surprising that while Browns coach and teammates are unwilling to speak out against him, no one else in the league has criticized the Giants, either, for re-signing their kicker to a two-year deal.Back in 2014, even Kaepernick himself played the not my business card when asked about the release of teammate Ray McDonald the day it was learned he was being investigated on suspicion of sexual assault. McDonald had previously been investigated for domestic violence.Hes a good friend to a lot of people on this team. No one thought bad of him, Kaepernick said then. Hopefully its just a misunderstanding. ... I understand why the team did what it did. Other than that, its not my business.Violence against women, like racial oppression, should be everyones business. And we should be able to talk freely about these issues.The fact that players are jumping at the chance in 2016 to speak out about Kaepernicks protest proves its not just about the desire to keep quiet for the sake of job security. The key is whether theyre willing to listen to the disenfranchised, be it a survivor of domestic abuse or a target of police brutality.I look forward to the day when people stand up and demand justice for people with the same passion they display in defending symbols. After all, whats the point of defending the American flag if youre not invested in protecting the very people it represents? Whats the use in defending the freedoms our anthem promises if youre not willing to listen to those who arent truly free?Standing for the anthem is easy because its expected. Loving your country enough to want to make it better is real patriotism. Cheick Diallo Jersey . 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Coach Tom Thibodeau says the former MVP will probably start travelling with the team in the next few weeks. Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls. STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- With injuries impacting their lineup early, freshmen have had to play big minutes in Penn States new fast-paced offense.They havent disappointed and on Tuesday, the Nittany Lions promising freshman class got help from a handful of veterans to pull away from Grand Canyon 85-76.Rookie Lamar Stevens scored 19 points and top returning scorers Payton Banks (15) and Shep Garner (14) chipped in to lead the Nittany Lions in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.I think weve made a lot of good strides over the last three games, Banks said. I think were jelling well. I feel like the rotation, were starting to get used to it, starting to get used to where guys are going to be.They were all over the paint in scoring 40 points and netting 20 second-chance points against the Antelopes. Along with Stevens, freshman Tony Carr also had his third-straight double-digit game with 10 points.This is the type of scoring potential Penn State coach Pat Chambers envisioned when he pledged to meld young and old and chase 80-plus points per game in the preseason. To get there, the Nittany Lions (2-1) needed to overcome a 0-for-9 shooting slump in the first five minutes of the second half that saw them squander a 48-41 halftime lead.I found out a lot about my team, Chambers said. They dug deep, they got back to the middle of the ring, they punched back and we took the lead.Joshua Braun made 5 of 10 3-pointers and led Grand Canyon (0-2) with 25 points. Oscar Frayer, Darion Clark, Keonta Vernon and Shaq Carr also finished in double figures for the Antelopes with 13, 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively.Braun hit 2 of 3 free throws with 15:29 left to give Grand Canyon a 50-48 lead -- its last of the game.The Nittany Lions put together an impressive 13-7 run immediately thereafter in which Banks and Stevens combiined for all 13 points.ddddddddddddStevens tipped in a rebound with 6:06 left to put Penn State up 75-63 for its biggest lead.We knew it was going to be tough game, Grand Canyon coach Dan Majerle said. Were shorthanded, DeWayne Russell is our starting point guard, he wasnt able to play the first two games, well get him back.BUSY SCHEDULEPenn State played its third game in five days and its schedule remains hectic for the near future. The Nittany Lions will cap the tournament with back-to-back games this weekend and will play five times in the final 11 days of the month.MORE FROM MOOREJulian Moore led Penn State with nine rebounds and had the type of game Chambers hoped he would have earlier. But foul trouble in the first two games limited Moores minutes. He played 20 against the Antelopes.HURT LIONSGuard Josh Reaves missed his third game with a lower leg injury and hes not expected to play this weekend. Forward Davis Zemgulis missed his first game with a concussion and Isaiah Washington also sat out for Penn State with an unspecified ailment.THE BIG PICTUREGrand Canyon: The Antelopes are 0 for 6 against Power 5 teams and have been outscored 550-365 since they joined the Division I ranks.Penn State: The Nittany Lions have never began a season with three freshmen starters in three straight games as they have with Stevens, Watkins and Tony Carr this year. Carr and Stevens were in double figures for the third time and Watkins finished with nine points and six rebounds.UP NEXTGrand Canyon travels to Uncasville, Connecticut to continue the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament against Albany on Saturday.Penn State will also visit Uncasville on Saturday where it will face No. 1 Duke. ' ' '