MINNEAPOLIS -- Since the Minnesota Vikings' 2016 schedule was released, their trip to Charlotte, North Carolina, to face the Carolina Panthers -- the team that drafted Captain Munnerlyn, gave him his first chance to start, made him a key piece of a division championship team and let him leave in free agency -- was written in bold type in the 28-year-old's mind.

"It was kind of tough for me to watch that, but it's out of my control. All I can do is pray, and hope things get better," Captain Munnerlyn said of the events this week in Charlotte, N.C. Jon Durr/Getty Images

The pugnacious cornerback looked forward to seeing old teammates, lining up across from players he practiced against and hopefully leaving as part of the first visiting team to win at Bank of America Stadium since Nov. 16, 2014. As Munnerlyn lay in bed and watched CNN with his wife Wednesday night, though, he knew this trip to Charlotte would be tinged with sadness.

"We couldn't believe what was going on," he said. "It was like, 'Man, look at this. I know this area. I know what area they're in. I know the things they're tearing down.' It was kind of tough for me to watch that, but it's out of my control. All I can do is pray, and hope things get better."

The Vikings' cornerback was one of several players who shared their thoughts on the protests in Charlotte following the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott, a 43-year-old African-American man, by a black police officer Tuesday. Since then, the city has been shaken by violent protests, which left a civilian dead from gunshot wounds and other officers and civilians injured. North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency Wednesday, and though the NFL said Thursday it planned to keep the Vikings-Panthers game in Charlotte as scheduled Sunday, Munnerlyn admitted some uneasiness about the trip, and the fact his wife is already on the way there.

"I might just go check on my house and head back to the hotel," Munnerlyn said. "Right now, I'd definitely be worried. It's kind of chaos down there right now. Hopefully it clears up soon."

The shooting in Charlotte is the latest in a string of incidents that have put race relations in America -- and specifically the plight of African-Americans -- at the forefront of the public conscience. The Twin Cities were rocked this summer by the fatal shooting of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, and the shooting of Jamar Clark in north Minneapolis last November (and the subsequent decision in March not to charge the officers involved) sparked protests across the metro area.

Though Vikings players have thus far refrained from public protests like the decision by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick to kneel for the national anthem, Munnerlyn sounded grateful for the healthy discussion of race-related issues he said happens between players in the Vikings' locker room.

"You've got guys like Harrison [Smith], [Andrew] Sendejo and [Alex] Boone, we talk about things like that," Munnerlyn said. "They know it's not right. It's not even about race. The things that are going on in this world are not right. ... Some of those guys didn't grow up like I grew up [in a crime-ridden section of Mobile, Alabama]. [Cornerback] Xavier [Rhodes] didn't grow up like I grew up. To be in the locker room with guys and talk about it and get different points of view, it's awesome. It helps you understand a lot more."

And while he's cautious about his trip to Charlotte this weekend, Munnerlyn is hopeful his former city will heal.

"Hopefully they get it under wraps, and the city can move on and build back up," he said. "Football definitely is an escape. It's an escape for a lot of people -- not just us, not just the players, for families, for friends, for people in the city to get away from their problems and just enjoy a good football game."