SAN ANTONIO — In traditional Pop fashion, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was blunt.

"Our county is an embarrassment to the world," he said at Spurs media day Monday. One day after a weekend of protests against comments made by President Donald Trump, the well respected coach took a stand of his own, sharing with reporters his message to his team.

 "Each one of them has the right and ability to say what they would like to say and act the way they'd like to act. And they have our full support," he said. Popovich, who has criticized the president before, never called Trump by name though his tone was direct. 

 "The childishness and the gratuitous fear mongering and race baiting has been so consistent that it's almost expected," he said. "...We all know the situation. It gets beaten up everyday by talking heads and it starts to get personal. and we all know why. we all know where the source is. where all the division comes from."

But the coach believes taking a stand as individuals is better than dwelling on divisive words.

 "I think it's more important to be thinking what to do on a more organic roots based level. Thinking of the effort to restrict voter registration. Comments that demean cultures, ethnic groups, women, what can be done in an organic way to fight that," he said point out the power of the people.