Lawrence Brownlee was chosen by the New York Jets to sing the national anthem before their game against the Baltimore Ravens, but the operatic tenor faced a difficult decision.
In a statement Sunday morning, he said he found himself “being torn in two different directions.” As the son of a veteran, Brownlee wrote, he was honored to be given the opportunity to sing the anthem — as he has before.
“I am grateful for the fact I have far more opportunities to succeed today as a man of color than my ancestors who were alive when the anthem was written,” he said.