BROCKTON – A Brockton parks commissioner is under fire after a social media comment he made about the kneeling members of the New England Patriots, calling the players "turds" and monkeys for not standing for the U.S. national anthem at Sunday's game.

Stephen V. Pina, who sits on the Brockton Parks and Recreation Commission, commented on a Boston 25 story on Facebook about the players kneeling during the national anthem, writing that the athletes aren’t being paid for their politics, adding the the words, “dance monkey dance.”

Pina told The Enterprise on Monday that his words were not intended to be racist and he did not believe they would be perceived as such. Pina said he was drafting an apology at his Brockton home, getting ready to post it online, as TV news crews were outside trying to talk to him.

“It was not meant to be a racist comment, and if it was taken as such that’s regrettable,” said Pina, speaking to The Enterprise by phone, noting that he declined to speak to the television news crews. “I want to set the record straight.”

Pina said that he is a U.S. combat veteran, and deeply respects the American flag, and thinks that players should stand for the national anthem. But Pina admits he may have been caught up in the social media outrage surrounding the debate.

“I got sucked into the whole social media paradigm,” Pina said.

Pina was appointed in 2016 to a five-year term on the Brockton Parks and Recreation Commission by Mayor Bill Carpenter. The mayor is now calling for Pina's resignation due to the incident.

Pina also coaches youth football in Brockton.

Pina’s original comment that was perceived by many as racist was left on a Boston 25 Facebook post that showed a picture of kneeling Patriots players including Devin McCourty, Brandon Cooks, Duron Harmon, James White, Malcolm Butler and others.

“Turds, your dumbass isn't paid to think about politics....dance monkey dance,” Pina wrote.

Pina also told The Enterprise that he has heard the phrase “dance monkey dance” on WEEI sports radio “a thousand times” on the Kirk and Callahan morning show, adding that he was using it simply to express his displeasure for players who refused to stand for the national anthem.

But the president of the Brockton Area Branch NAACP said she’s not buying it.

“Does that make it right?” said Phyllis Ellis, referring to Pina’s WEEI explanation. “I think it’s disgraceful. When a black person hear’s ‘monkey,’ that’s racial discrimination. I don’t know what he’s talking about. To use his phrase, he cannot dance around this. It is what it is. It’s racial.”

Ellis said she invited Carpenter, the Brockton mayor, to address the issue at the Brockton Area Branch NAACP’s meeting on Monday night. Ellis, who became the organization’s president in June this year, said she was pleased that Carpenter wanted to come speak about Pina’s comments.

Carpenter told The Enterprise on Monday afternoon that he is drafting a letter to Pina to call for the resignation of the parks commissioner. Carpenter said that, technically, it would take a 2/3 vote of the Brockton City Council or the voters to remove Pina from his city position. But the mayor said a resignation would spare the city from going through the process.

“I'm offended, I'm troubled, and I’m disappointed with the remark,” said Carpenter, speaking by phone. “He has to be held accountable. I don't think an apology is good enough I believe the proper and best outcome would be for him to voluntarily step down from the commission.”

Carpenter said he felt the Brockton Area Branch NAACP was the best forum to address the controversy.

“I want to state unequivocally to them that this is unacceptable,” Carpenter said, “and we're not going to accept it or tolerate it. I'm going to apologize personally on behalf of the city.”

Ollie Spears, a city activist who formerly served on the Brockton Planning Board, saw Pina's social media post on Sunday night. Spears said he went to high school with Pina and has done business with him in the past. Spears, who is African-American, said he was shocked and outraged by Pina’s comment, calling it inexcusable.

"When I saw the post, I was offended," Spears said. "Being a black man, you can't call a black man a monkey. It just goes back to years and years of discrimination and hatred toward blacks. So when I saw that, and these guys were doing a peaceful protest, and he said, 'Dance, monkey. Dance,' I was totally offended. ... It's just disheartening, especially in a city so diverse as Brockton."