GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Controversy now surrounds East Carolina University after the marching band was booed on Saturday.
Some members of the band took a knee while playing the national anthem.
Many in the crowd booed once members returned to the field at halftime.
The protest move mimics the movement started by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick who sat during the anthem to protest racial prejudice in the country.
Before the game was even over, ECU's chancellor Cecil Staton released the following statement:
"As an institution of higher learning, East Carolina respects the rights of our students, staff and faculty to express their personal views. That is part of the free exchange of ideas on a university campus. While we acknowledge and understand the disappointment felt by many Pirate fans in response to the events at the beginning of today’s football game, we urge all pirate students, supporters and participants to act with respect for each other’s views."
"It honestly made me so upset because when you look up into the stands and you see the veterans saluting the flag like this and you see band members kneeling and disrespecting the flag, it’s disgusting and I do not like it," said ECU student Kennedy Kanetzke.
"Well, I think it was necessary,” countered ECU student Randy Stitt. “One, it’s their right to do that. Secondly, they are bringing attention to a lot of issues that a lot of students may overlook because they are not directly affected by the issue or they don't have the time to process what is going on.”
There has been no public word just yet about whether band members will continue to kneel in protest during future games.