Pro-Trump waiter refuses to serve Oakland A's player who knelt during anthem

From right: Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell (13) takes a knee as Oakland Athletics left fielder Mark Canha (20) puts his hand on his shoulder during the playing of the national anthem before an MLB baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and Texas Rangers at the Oakland Coliseum on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. less From right: Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell (13) takes a knee as Oakland Athletics left fielder Mark Canha (20) puts his hand on his shoulder during the playing of the national anthem before an MLB ... more Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Santiago Mejia, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Pro-Trump waiter refuses to serve Oakland A's player who knelt during anthem 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Oakland A's rookie catcher Bruce Maxwell was the only Major League Baseball player to kneel during the national anthem this season, and a Trump-supporting waiter at an Alabama restaurant immediately recognized him as that guy.

Maxwell told TMZ Sports that on his first day home in Harvest, Ala., after the season, a waiter refused to serve him and said, "You're the guy who took the knee? I voted for Trump and I stand for everything he stands for."

Maxwell, who was dining with a local councilman, reportedly complained to management and a new server took his order.

Maxwell dropped to his knee Sept. 24 before a game against the Texas Rangers, embracing a protest started by the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who wanted to make a statement against police treatment of black Americans.

Outfielder Mark Canha put his right hand on Maxwell's shoulder and after the anthem, teammates hugged.

Maxwell held a meeting before the game to let his teammates know about his decision, along with manager Bob Melvin and general manager David Forst, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

"He was as articulate as I've seen him," Melvin told the Chronicle. "This wasn't an emotional thing just today for him. Something had been leading up to it, and he felt today would be the right platform to do it."

After the September game, the A's issued a statement on Twitter that read: "The Oakland A's pride ourselves on being inclusive. We respect and support all our players' constitutional rights and freedom of expression."