Black NHL Player Received Death Threats, Called Racist Remarks After Raising Fist During National Anthem

Source: YouTube

Black NHL player J.T. Brown has become the first NHL player to protest during the national anthem.

Brown, a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, raised his fist in the air before a game against the Florida Panthers on Saturday night. Following the demonstration, Brown took to Twitter to defend his actions, as well as speak on the death threats he had received because of his protest.

"I also wanted to reiterate that this is not or has never been about the military or disrespecting the flag," Brown said. "It is about police brutality, racial injustice, and inequality in this country. It is something that I as well as many others feel needs to be addressed."

"I have received racist remarks and death threats because [people] disagree with me because how I chose to raise awareness," he continued. "We need to be able to listen to those with an opposing view and talk to one another if [we] want to learn, grow, and make change."

"I know it may not sit well with everyone, but to truly make change in this world we must be able to be pushed outside of our comfort zone...I want young minorities to see what they may be going through is not being ignored by the hockey community," Brown added.

Brown is just one of six African-American players in the NHL. There are fewer than 30 black players in the league currently, according to a report from ABC 15.

This past weekend, Vice President Mike Pence walked out of a game between the Indianapolis Colts and the San Francisco 49ers after players kneeled in protest of police brutality. However, shortly after Pence sent out the tweet voicing his displeasure with the protest, it was revealed that the photo presumably taken at the game was actually from a prior Colts game that happened three years prior.