The Pittsburgh Steelers player who is being heralded for taking the field on Sunday for the national anthem despite the rest of the team boycotting has now revealed that it was all a big mistake, and he meant to be in the tunnel with his fellow players.
‘Unfortunately I threw my teammates under the bus, unintentionally,’ Alejandro Villanueva said on Monday.
‘Every single time I see that picture of me standing by myself I feel embarrassed.’
Villanueva then explained that he had asked to stand in the front of the team with the captains of the squad but did not stop as they walked to the opening of the tunnel, ending up in plain view on the field as the national anthem began to play.
Speaking his truth: Alejandro Villanueva spoke out for the first time since taking the field alone on Sunday for the national anthem while his teammates remained in the tunnel
Revelation: ‘Every single time I see that picture of me standing by myself I feel embarrassed,’ he said, adding: ‘I threw my teammates under the bus, unintentionally’ (Villanueva above on Monday)
Sorry coach: Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was not happy with Villanueva’s (pictured) decision to take part in the pre-game national anthem ceremony on Sunday
Regrets, he’s had a few: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (above) said that he was upset with the team’s decision to skip the national anthem on Sunday
Villanueva stood at the tunnel opening at Chicago’s Soldier Field with his hand over his heart as the Star Spangled Banner was performed despite Tomlin (pictured Sunday) asking the team for ‘100 per cent participation’
Villanueva, who was an Army Ranger (left) and served in Afghanistan, was the only player on the active squad that could be seen by the crowd
The remainder of the team was either in the locker room or standing near the tunnel out of sight of the crow
Also on Monday, the man who won two Super Bowls for the city of Pittsburgh said that he now regreted the fact that the team refused to stand on the field for the national anthem during Sunday’s game.
‘I was unable to sleep last night and want to share my thoughts and feelings on our team’s decision to remain in the tunnel for the National Anthem yesterday,’ said Ben Roethlisberger in a statement posted to his personal website.
‘The idea was to be unified as a team when so much attention is paid to things dividing our country, but I wish we approached it differently. We did not want to appear divided on the sideline with some standing and some kneeling or sitting.’
He closed out by saying: ‘I appreciate the unique diversity in my team and throughout the league and completely support the call for social change and the pursuit of true equality.
‘Moving forward, I hope standing for the Anthem shows solidarity as a nation, that we stand united in respect for the people on the front lines protecting our freedom and keeping us safe. God bless those men and women.’
Villanueva took a tongue lashing from head coach Mike Tomlin after he decided to take part in the pre-game national anthem ceremony on Sunday while the rest of his team remained out of sight in the locker room.
‘Like I said, I was looking for 100 per cent participation, we were gonna be respectful of our football team,’ Tomlin said following his team’s 23-17 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Left tackle Villanueva, who served three tours in Afghanistan as an Army Ranger, stood at the edge of the end zone at Chicago’s Soldier Field with his hand over his heart as the Star Spangled Banner was performed.
His teammates, who were surprised by Villanueva’s actions, remained either in the locker room or stood near the tunnel out of sight of the crowd.
Tomlin, offensive coordinator Todd Haley, offensive line coach Mike Munchak and running backs coach James Saxon all stood on the field for the national anthem.
He later said that many of the players ‘felt like something needed to be done’.
‘I asked those guys to discuss it and whatever they discussed that we have 100 per cent participation or we do nothing,’ Tomlin said.
He also revealed that the team held a meeting on Saturday and decided not to come out of the locker room for the anthem.
Tomlin noted the decision wasn’t unanimous, but the intent was to have his team focus on the game and not President Donald Trump’s comments about players who chose to protest during the anthem.
‘We’re not going to play politics,’ Tomlin said. ‘We’re football players, we’re football coaches. We’re not participating in the anthem today – not to be disrespectful to the anthem, but to remove ourselves from the circumstance.’
He added: ‘People shouldn’t have to choose. If a guy wants to go about his normal business and participate in the anthem, he shouldn’t be forced to choose sides.
‘If a guy feels the need to do something, he shouldn’t be separated from his teammate who chooses not to. But when we come out of locker rooms, we come out of locker rooms to play football games.’
Villanueva was a key member of the team’s protest planning ahead of Sunday’s game, a source told ESPN.
‘Like I said, I was looking for 100 per cent participation, we were gonna be respectful of our football team,’ Tomlin (pictured) said following his team’s 23-17 loss to the Chicago Bears
Before the game, Tomlin said the team would not stand on the sidelines for the anthem as they usually did. He said the team held a meeting and decided not to come out of the locker room for the anthem
Head coach Mike Tomlin, offensive coordinator Todd Haley, offensive line coach Mike Munchak and running backs coach James Saxon all stood on the field for the national anthem
The Pittsburgh Steelers side of the field was nearly empty during the playing of the national anthem before a game between the Steelers and Chicago Bear
The team decided that moving the protest off the field and out of sight of the crowd was a way to keep solidarity – those who wanted to stand could still stand inside the tunnel.
Linebacker James Harrison told Penn Live that everyone was involved in the pregame plan to remain out of sight of the crowd.
‘We thought we were all in attention with the same agreement, obviously,’ Harrison said. ‘But I guess we weren’t.’
Villanueva has previously said he supported players’ frustration over racial injustice, but he didn’t want to overlook the anthem because of his time in the military, where he earned a bronze star for valor during his tours overseas.
Several people took to social media to praise Villanueva for his decision to stand near the field during the pregame national anthem, including Lara Trump.
‘Kudos to this incredible American. Thank you for your service & respecting our flag, sir. (sic) (Only #Steeler to come out for nat’l anthem),’ the president’s daughter-in-law tweeted.
Others called the Steelers a ‘disgrace’ for not taking part with Villanueva, despite their move to stay out of sight to remain out of the protest narrative.
Teammates said on Sunday that they respected Villanueva’s decision.
Several people took to social media to praise Villanueva for his decision to stand near the field during the pregame national anthem, including Lara Trump
‘Al is a unique circumstance, what he’s been through, some of the things he’s talked about before,’ guard David DeCastro said. ‘I’ve got a lot of respect for Al. I
‘ wish there was a different way to do this thing. We’ve got some people who look at the national anthem as patriotism, soldiers, all the stuff that it means, and obviously, people are upset, and I understand that.
‘I just wish both sides understand that they want the right thing, but doing it through the national anthem, I wish there was a different way.’
Defensive end Cam Heyward said: ‘I don’t want to go into that, but we support our guy Al. He feels he had to do it. This guy served our country, and we thank him for it.’
In 2014, Villanueva, then a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, told CBS News’ Don Dahler why he joined the Army.
‘I just couldn’t stand by the sidelines and watch other people do the work,’ he said.
A year later in 2015, Villanueva married his wife Madelyn.
More than 200 NFL players who either knelt, sat, stretched or prayed during the Star Spangled Banner to protest Trump’s remarks on Sunday.
Three teams didn’t even take the field until the national anthem was over.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears stood together with linked arms as the national anthem played at Soldier Field on Sunday
Several players raised their fists during the protest, while others did so after scoring touchdowns during the game.
The protest campaign against racial inequality was started last year by former 49ers quarterback Kaepernick. Only six players participated last week.
But Trump’s weekend attack on athletes sparked angry reactions from around the sports world and drew defiance from most of the NFL.
He suggested the NFL was going soft for cracking down on big hits. He uninvited the NBA champions Golden State Warriors to the White House after Stephen Curry and other players indicated they weren’t sure they would accept the invitation.
Players, owners and commissioners past and present chastised the president for his divisive remarks.
After calling for NFL players who protest to be fired, Trump tweeted Sunday that the league should make it mandatory to stand for the national anthem and that fans should shun anyone who doesn’t.