Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz

USA TODAY

Vice President Mike Pence said he left Sunday's Indianapolis Colts game after several players from the San Francisco 49ers chose to kneel during the national anthem.

"I left today's Colts game because @POTUS and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem," Pence wrote in a tweet.

President Trump wrote that he requested Pence leave if any players kneeled. At least 15 players from the 49ers did so. Colts players stood arm-in-arm.

Pence has followed President Trump's lead by criticizing players who do not stand for the anthem.

Last week approximately 30 players from the 49ers kneeled in their first game since Trump called for players who protest to be fired. Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sparked the protests last year when he chose not to stand last year to speak out against racial inequality and police brutality.

Elsewhere in the NFL, many teams opted not to continue the protests. After having players kneel last week, both the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills all stood for the anthem before their games.

Pence tweeted earlier in the day that he was looking forward to the day's festivities, which included honoring former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. But the photo he used was found to have been recycled from a 2014 tweet.

Follow Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz on Twitter @MikeMSchwartz.

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