Tom Pelissero

USA TODAY Sports

MINNEAPOLIS — Alex Boone chose his words carefully, noting he’d been warned the question was coming.

But Boone, the Minnesota Vikings veteran guard, made abundantly clear Sunday he was upset by former San Francisco 49ers teammate Colin Kaepernick’s recent decision not to stand for the Star-Spangled Banner.

“It’s hard for me, because my brother was a Marine, and he lost a lot of friends over there,” Boone told USA TODAY Sports. “That flag obviously gives (Kaepernick) the right to do whatever he wants. I understand it. At the same time, you should have some (expletive) respect for people who served, especially people that lost their life to protect our freedom.

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“We’re out here playing a game, making millions of dollars. People are losing their life, and you don’t have the common courtesy to do that. That just drove me nuts.”

Kaepernick told NFL Network on Friday night that he chose not to stand because: "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

Boone, who played five seasons with Kaepernick in San Francisco, said he was upset and disappointed by Kaepernick’s actions but not surprised.

He spoke after the Vikings’ exhibition Sunday against the San Diego Chargers wearing a shirt bearing the name of Chris Kyle, the late Navy SEAL veteran portrayed in the movie American Sniper.

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“You see all these pictures of these veterans that have no legs, and they’re standing up in a wheelchair,” Boone said after a small group of reporters gathered at his locker. “I had a brother that served, and he lost friends, and I know how much it means to him. It’s shameful.”

Asked how he would’ve handled it had he still been with the 49ers, Boone said: “See, I’m a very emotional person. So, I think if I had known that, my emotions would’ve been rolling — I think we would’ve had a problem on the sideline.

“And I get that he can do whatever he wants. But there’s a time and a place. Show some respect, and that’s just how I feel.”

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