SALT LAKE CITY — On Friday, President Donald Trump, while delivering a political rally in Alabama, said NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem had disrespected the flag and deserved to be fired.

“That’s a total disrespect of our heritage,” he said. “That’s a total disrespect of everything that we stand for.”

Trump encouraged NFL owners to fire players that continued to kneel during the National Anthem and added: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you’d say, ‘Get that son of a b**** off the field right now. Out! He’s fired.'”

That statement sparked a debate around the country as NFL players spoke up, defending what they believe to be an expression of their freedom of speech in a nonviolent protest. On Sunday, numerous players from every team in the NFL protested against Trump’s comments and knelt or interlocked arms in solidarity during the singing of the National Anthem.

While the #TakeAKnee protests have been mostly absent in college football and the NBA, players at the University of Utah and with the Utah Jazz are not oblivious to what has taken place in the NFL. In fact, many are paying close attention to the situation.

Here's what both teams are saying:

University of Utah

“I think it's pretty good that those guys are taking a stand,” sophomore running back Zack Moss said. “I mean, someone with that type of power (Trump) shouldn't be saying things like that, I think. That's ill for the nation right now.”

Senior quarterback Troy Williams said he’s encouraged that NFL players are trying to have their voices heard, particularly in relation to inequalities affecting minorities.

“I feel like what they're doing in the NFL is showing a great example of activism and like nonviolent things and everything like that,” he said. “So I feel like it's a good way to show that, you know, we see what is going on and it’s not right.”

Head coach Kyle Whittingham declined to comment Monday about the protests or about Trump’s comments. As the leader of a program with a diverse group of athletes, Whittingham is taking a measured approach in an effort to avoid controversy or unnecessary debate for his team.

Regardless, Moss said he believes that despite the challenges the country faces, “we should all be able to talk and say what we feel.” He said although many people may disagree with taking a knee during the National Anthem, the issue is not related to the American flag or is a disrespectful act toward it.

“I think (Colin) Kaepernick was trying to shed light on all the things in the African-American world and what's happening and the injustice there,” Moss said, referring to the former NFL quarterback who started the movement. “And then you've got Donald Trump talking about something else that's totally different. But I think time will heal all, so we should be fine with that.”

In August 2016, Kaepernick made headlines when he decided to take a knee during the singing of the National Anthem. Kaepernick later said it was a gesture to bring to light the oppression of black people face and the ongoing issues related to police brutality toward minorities. He said that he would continue to kneel until “this country is representing people the way that it’s supposed to.”

“This stand wasn’t for me,” he said in a statement at the time. “This is because I’m seeing things happen to people that don’t have a voice, people that don’t have a platform to talk and have their voices heard, and effect change. So I’m in the position where I can do that and I’m going to do that for the people that can’t.”

The movement sparked debate as other NFL players joined in what they viewed as an expression of their freedom of speech in a nonviolent protest. Others see it as a disrespectful act intended to divide the country.

“I feel like a lot of people kind of misread it,” Williams said. “It’s not just about the flag, it’s about inequality throughout this country, especially with minorities, and just about police brutality and everything like that. So it’s just all of that into one — racism. It’s just about coming together and just realizing that we have to take a stand.”

As a black athlete, Williams said it’s hard to watch videos of police brutality on the internet and “experiencing some of the things that people talk about.”

"I just have to be smart about the whole thing, for one, and just try to be supportive of my family and just everybody,” he said. “I feel like I just have to stay positive; and if anybody needs help, I’ll be there for them.”

Utah Jazz

When Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey was asked about the protests, he went back to his background growing up. In Texas, his family sheltered as many as 16 children in the Lindsey home, bringing in poor children from Hispanic, Asian and black backgrounds.

"In some ways, I’m uniquely advantaged to see people as people," Lindsey said.

So with that past, Lindsey turned to the choice players have: to stand, or not to stand?

"We had this binary choice, right? If you don’t stand, you’re not patriotic. But if you do stand and put your hand over your heart, you don’t have a social conscience, an awareness of the social environment," Lindsey said.

"We can reject that premise that it’s a binary choice. You can be highly patriotic and yet be very socially aware. Both things beget the other, if you really think about it."

So what will the Jazz do in their first game on Oct. 2? They haven't decided yet, but Lindsey wants his players to be informed.

"We want our players to be really aware of the state that they live in, the country that they live in, and the choices. And look, we don’t live in a perfect union, but we aspire to be better. The best way to do that is for our country to argue with itself, and debate."

For the most part, players wanted to stay out of the discussion, to be known for their play on the court. But while doing so, Rodney Hood had one thing to say about Trump: "I think someone needs to take his Twitter account, but other than that, I don’t really have a comment on him."

New Jazzman Thabo Sefolosha has a unique perspective on the whole situation: he's actually a victim of the police brutality that Kaepernick was protesting. In April of 2015, an officer from the New York City police department used a baton to break Sefolosha's leg during an improper arrest. Sefolosha sued, and the New York City police officers he sued paid $4 million to settle the lawsuit.

"It's just sad to see the division that's occurring right now in the United States," Sefolosha, a Swiss, said. "Obviously, those comments were pretty offensive. I don't think it was something that the president should have said. It's part of life, and I like the way that a lot of people answered to that. I can respect that."

Finally, Derrick Favors posted this photo on Instagram:

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