Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown reportedly "begged" the team's players not to kneel during the national anthem before a September 2017 game against the Green Bay Packers.
Former Bengals safety George Iloka told Elise Jesse of WLWT the players held a meeting during after President Donald Trump suggested owners should release any player who took a knee during the anthem, but they couldn't reach a consensus about how to move forward.
"It was about 50 percent African Americans and 50 percent of my Caucasian brothers and it was only about 30 people," Iloka said Monday.