When Colin Kaepernick remained seated on the San Francisco 49ers bench, unnoticed and out of uniform during a preseason game Aug. 14, 2016, the quarterback could not have imagined the spate of national anthem protests he sparked that day would lead to an Army Ranger veteran, the Steelers’ Alejandro Villanueva, apologizing for standing alone during the national anthem.
“It’s been an unfortunate 48 hours for me,” Mr. Villanueva said during a news conference Monday.
After the Steelers, attempting to remain unified, agreed to stay off the field during the national anthem Sunday at Chicago’s Soldier Field, Mr.