Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason's opinion on protests during the national anthem can be heard clearly — at his home.

At his weekly press conference Tuesday, Mason said his stance on the protests is "shared between me and my wife and that's where I will keep them."

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The protests during the national anthem began with Colin Kaepernick last year and hit a fever pitch at every NFL game over the weekend. NFL coaches, like Mason's friend Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, had to face questions about his team's unity over the protests.

Vanderbilt, like most college football teams, does not exit the locker room until after the national anthem under normal circumstances. So Mason and most college coaches have not had to deal with the issue of players protesting during the anthem.

On Tuesday, Mason emphasized that he is trying to focus on his next game, a Saturday showdown with No. 20 Florida (11 a.m. CT, ESPN). But on the protests, Mason added a few general comments about the need for understanding between opposing views.

More:Why do NFL players protest during national anthem? A timeline: From Kaepernick to Trump.

"We have to move past being divided and get to a point where we all understand that we are all about the same things," Mason said. "... This is America. We are founded on liberties and freedoms. And at the end of the day, we've got to make sure we do a great job of loving on one another.

"There are a lot of hurt people in this country behind things outside the anthem."

Reach Adam Sparks at asparks@tennessean.com and on Twitter @AdamSparks.