Many Veterans Plan To Boycott NFL Games On Sunday

SCRANTON. PA (CNN) -- While many professional athletes are taking a knee, many veterans are taking a stand.

One group of veterans released a statement last month about NFL players protesting during the National Anthem. They are condemning those actions.

"We're the people that fought and defended the freedom to protest. There is a time and a place to protest," said Lackawanna County Council of Veterans Commander Joe Albert.

The Council of Veterans say they are not condemning athletes using their platforms to protest, but as soldiers who have served active duty, they feel protesting the flag and the National Anthem is disrespecting the country they have fought for.

Now, many veterans say they have turned the games off, and that they will take part in a national boycott of all NFL games on Sunday, Nov. 12, the day after Veterans Day.

"They have so much power. It is wrong for them to abuse their power," said Ed Faatz, the president of Friends of the Forgotten.

The Lackawanna County Veterans say protesting while in uniform is abusing that power, and that they should be doing it on their own time.

"It's very disappointing because these are idols of society and it's trickling down. It's when the high school players start to do. The college kids start to do it. Their coaches don't tolerate it," Albert said.

Sunday, Nov. 6, was the NFL's "Salute To Service" day.

Many team officials and cheerleaders across the league wore special uniforms and gear.

(Alexandra Gallo, The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2017 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.)