Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown offered a measured criticism of Colin Kaepernick's national anthem protest, telling TIME he takes issue with Kaepernick demonstrating during the national anthem.
Brown's comments appear in a TIME cover story about Kaepernick's ongoing protest of racial inequality and police violence. During the preseason, the 49ers quarterback protested by sitting during the national anthem, and in San Francisco's final preseason game and through the first two weeks of the regular season, Kaepernick has chosen to instead kneel during the anthem.
"I would not challenge our flag," Brown told TIME's Sean Gregory.