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Philadelphia Eagles rookie says he'll sit for national anthem, agent says he stands

By Alex Butler
Myke Tavarres. (@MykeT14/Instagram)
Myke Tavarres. (@MykeT14/Instagram)

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Two months ago, Myke Tavarres stood on the bow of a boat, standing up while wearing an American flag tank top, shorts, and socks.

On Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles rookie linebacker told ESPN that he also plans to sit during the national anthem before the Eagles' final preseason game.

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick recently sat down during the national anthem for a preseason game. His move brought both ire and praise from the public. Kaepernick and Tavarres could both be considered fringe players to make their teams' 53-man rosters.

Happy Independence Day!! 🇺🇸

A photo posted by Myke Tavarres (@myket14) on

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"Oh, I thought about it. Believe me, I definitely thought about it," Tavarres told ESPN's Tim McManus. "And usually I'm front and center on the line with the rest of the guys, and that's since pre-K all the way up. Saturday's game, I stepped back, I was in the background, and it didn't feel right to me at all, and so I will be taking a stand -- or sitting down -- for the fourth game."

Later in the day, his agent Corey Williams told Fox 29's Chris O'Connell that his client "now plans to stand."

"As a rookie, his goal is not to be a distraction for the Eagles. His coaches at Incarnate Word and I advised him to stand," Williams said.

Tavarres hopes to survive roster cuts. He is a 6-foot, 2-inch undrafted free agent out of the University of the Incarnate Word.

"In this situation, I've really got nothing to lose," Tavarres told McManus. "I'm a rookie free agent, haven't signed any major contract, so there's not a lot of money on the line, I don't have any big endorsement deals on the line. Really what's at stake is my pride and what kind of man would I be and what kind of African-American would I be if I didn't stand my ground on this issue we have today? "[It] needs to be done. Will there be backlash? Probably. I don't think anyone has bought my jersey yet, so I don't know if it's going to be burned, but it's a major issue and I'm definitely going to stand my ground for this one."

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