LINCOLN, Neb. -- A Nebraska football player who took a knee during the national anthem before the game at Northwestern on Saturday night said he and his family have received racially charged criticism on social media, and said the responses show why the protest is necessary.Senior linebacker Michael Rose-Ivey read an impassioned statement during the Cornhuskers weekly media availability on Monday. Freshmen Mohamed Barry and DaiShon Neal joined Rose-Ivey on one knee in protest of racial injustice and police brutality.Former high school classmates, friends, peers and some Huskers fans swiftly criticized the group on Facebook and Twitter, Rose-Ivey said.Some believe DaiShon, Mohamed and myself should be kicked off the team or suspended, while some said we deserved to be lynched or shot just like the other black people who have died recently. Others believe we should be hung before the anthem before the next game. These are actual statements we receive from fans, he said.Rose-Ivey said the players were joining in solidarity with San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick and other professional and amateur athletes who are kneeling or otherwise protesting unfair treatment of blacks in the United States.The opportunity to use the platform was rare for the Huskers. Like many college teams, they are in the locker rooms during the anthem at Nebraska home games. At Northwestern, players are traditionally on the field. Rose-Ivey said he told coach Mike Riley and his team about his plans ahead of the game, and Riley supported him.As the group took a knee, four of his teammates spontaneously helped the Northwestern band and others hold a giant U.S. flag over the field when there werent enough people to keep it up. Zack Darlington said he and fellow sophomore Nick Gates, junior Drew Brown and senior Sam Hahn were together on the sideline when they noticed the flag drooping.I dont think any of us who held the flag did it to go out there and overshadow anyone, Darlington said. We were just standing there, and it looked like it was going to fall. I got nervous. I didnt want it to touch the ground. I know how sacred our flag is, so I wasnt going to let it touch the ground -- not on my watch.Darlington said he didnt disagree with the cause, just the method of protest.Everyone can see there are a lot of African-American people being killed today, which makes people nervous, Darlington said. There are other ways possibly to protest that wouldnt disrespect our veterans and military and our country. I dont think they did it in spite of the military or of our veterans. I know they love this country. Its something they want to bring attention to, and I think rightly so.Riley said with 140 players on the roster there will be a wide range of opinions about the anthem protest.We have guys from all kinds of backgrounds, all parts of the country, we have a real nice -- and I love it -- melting pot, Riley said. And then you also have a bunch of kids who are in college, where you gain a whole new awareness of the world as you go, and you start to form those opinions that are going to make you who you are for the rest of your life.Rose-Ivey quoted Martin Luther King, referenced other civil rights champions and said it would be wrong for him to not speak out with his voice or by kneeling during the anthem.We did it understanding the implications of these actions, Rose-Ivey said, but what we didnt expect was the enormous amount of hateful, racially motivated comments we received from friends, peers, fans and members of the media about the method of protest.He said the reactions further underscore the need for this protest and give us just a small glimpse into the persistent problem of race, racism in this country and the divisive mentality of some Americans.Rose-Ivey said a number of people also sent him messages of support. That feels good, because it seems like the negative outweighs the positive, he said.---On the Net:AP college football website: http://collegefootball.ap.orgNike m2k Tekno España . - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap. Air Force 1 Venta Online . Calgary scored on the first shift, and Michael Cammalleri scored twice as the Flames cruised to a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday. http://www.airforceonebaratas.com/air-force-1-just-do-it-comprar.html . The next step is a better finish. Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend. Nike Air More Uptempo Negras .C. -- Todd Fiddler scored a hat trick, including the overtime goal, as the Prince George Cougars survived an 8-7 win against the Kamloops Blazers in Western Hockey League play Sunday. Air Force 1 Comprar . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators.MOSCOW -- Russian team SKA St. Petersburg says it has signed forward Ilya Kovalchuk to a four-year contract. Last week, Kovalchuk walked away from $77 million left on his 15-year contract with the New Jersey Devils. SKA did not disclose the terms of the deal with Kovalchuk in its statement Monday. SKA president Gennady Timchenko described the 30-year-old Kovalchuk as a "real leader." Kovalcchuk scored 417 goals and added 399 assists in 816 NHL games.dddddddddddd His best seasons were in 2005-06 and 2007-08 when he scored a career-high 52 goals. He had three other 40-goal seasons. 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