Outraged Professional Bull Riders chief Sean Gleason came within a minute of cancelling an event when the managers of The Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., refused to allow a U.S. Customs and Border Protection honor guard to enter their building on Friday night.

A still-seething Gleason, chief executive officer of PBR, wrote about the Charlotte standoff on his Facebook page.

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Uniformed agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a unit of the Department of Homeland Security, were supposed to serve as honor guard and display the American flag during the national anthem.

But arena managers with what Gleason called an "agenda" refused entry to the honor guard and other agents because they were carrying firearms, Gleason wrote on his Facebook page.

Arena managers also forced federal agents manning a recruiting booth to move outside from inside where it had set up.

Citing "building policy," officials at The Spectrum Center — formerly named Time Warner Cable Arena — informed PBR that they could not allow armed federal agents inside the building. When arena managers asked the honor guard to relinquish its firearms, the members refused.

The result was a 90-minute standoff, with the uniformed federal agents cooling their heels outside the security entrance.

"As Federal Agents working in an official capacity, they are not allowed to 'surrender' their firearms to anyone, especially a security guard working at an arena in Charlotte, NC!! That included the color guard who were presenting the American flag to our fans for the anthem," Gleason wrote. "What should have been a two-minute conversation with the GM of the building turned into a 1½ hour runaround involving lawyers and the most insane arguments and reasoning I have ever heard."

With minutes to spare, the arena suggested a Charlotte police officer escort the federal agents into the building. PBR agreed. The show went on -- after a slight delay.

Gleason vowed he won't allow any PBR event to go on in Charlotte, or at another arena, without the presentation of the American flag by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection honor guard.

"It seemed very clear to me after 1½ hours that this was a situation in which a 'policy' that has merit on the surface was being used to go beyond both reason and the law to force an agenda," Gleason wrote.

PBR fans are passionate about their sport. They applauded Gleason's stand on Facebook.

"Thanks for sticking to your guns (pun intended)," one supporter wrote.

UPDATE: PBR returned to the Charlotte venue on Saturday night. This time there were no problems with the federal U.S. Customs and Border Protection honor guard and the show went off without a hitch.

"Unwavering support of the US military, and starting all PBR events with a proud and respectful presentation of the American flag and our national anthem, have been part of the sport's DNA since it was founded," said Gleason to SN in a statement.

Border Patrol members present the colors at all PBR events, according to a PBR spokesman.

The rodeo organization has "never encountered a situation where an arena prevented entry to federal agents presenting our nation's colors for the national anthem," the spokesman said.

Robert Brisley, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, confirmed there was a delay Friday night:

"The U.S. Customs and Border Protection continues to enjoy a valuable working relationship with Professional Bull Riders (PBR) during the 2016 season. Our U.S. Customs and Border Protection Honor Guard presented the Stars and Stripes this past weekend prior to the PBR events in Charlotte, NC, and we look forward to future Professional Bull Rider events."