Gyree Durante, a Pennsylvania college quarterback, learned the price of conviction by being cut from his Division III team for kneeling during the national anthem last weekend.
The freshman from Albright College was dismissed for taking a knee prior to a game against Delaware Valley University on Saturday, Bleacher Report noted.
An Albright College spokeswoman elaborated in a statement.
"The football team made a team-wide decision to both kneel during the coin toss and stand during the national anthem," the spokeswoman said, per ESPN. "This action, which was supported by the coaching staff, was created as an expression of team unity and out of the mutual respect team members have for one another and the value they place on their differences. It was established as a way to find common ground in a world with many differing views."
Durante opted to kneel during the anthem on his own accord, an action that had dire consequences for the player.
The Albright College spokeswoman said players had been briefed in advance that they would be penalized for taking a knee during the national anthem. For Durante that meant being cut from the team and enduring criticism from his teammates.
Freshmen Stephen Glynn and Josh Powell told NBC10 that Durante had broken the team's trust by acting selfishly.
"We trusted him throughout the week, after time and time again he told us he would stand," Powell said. "When you can't have a player on a team that you can trust, he's got to go."
Durante said he had been raised to fight for what he believed in and not to bow to anyone.
"I believe heavily in this," he said, according to NBC10. "So I decided to fight for it."
The former quarterback said this incident would not deter him from standing up for what he believed in, adding that he was considering transferring to a different school.
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