Kelly Rowland has a ton of respect for Gladys Knight -- but tells TMZ Sports she would NOT have made the same choice to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl.
Of course, Rowland is playing Gladys Knight in the BET series, "American Soul." She's previously talked about what an "honor" it is to play the 74-year-old singing legend.
So, with Knight at the center of the NFL controversy -- we asked the former Destiny's Child singer what she would have done if the NFL asked her to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the big game.