In a suspicious about-face, NFL national anthem hero Alejandro Villanueva of the Steelers is now apologizing for his actions on Sunday, saying he threw his “teammates under the bus unintentionally.”

We’ve seen this kind of reversal before. Normally it occurs after pressure is applied in the political arena to reverse a candidate’s comments.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the former Army Ranger who served three tours of duty in Afghanistan was likely pressured by the NFL to apologize.

From CBS Pittsburgh:

“I made coach Tomlin look bad, and that is my fault, and my fault only,” Villanueva said Monday. “I made my teammates look bad, and that is my fault only,” Villanueva said. The former Army Ranger says he is absolutely okay if teammates kneel or sit during the national anthem. He says some players who have been kneeling during anthems have approached him after or before games and thanked him for his service. “People die for the flag, there’s no way else to put it, there’s nothing else that would justify dying for that mission,” Villanueva said. “Unfortunately I threw my teammates under the bus, unintentionally,” Villanueva said. “Every single time I see that picture of me standing by myself I feel embarrassed.”

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