Herschel Walker, a former NFL running back, said the league paid out what amounted to be "hush money" in an effort to stop players kneeling for the national anthem.
Walker made his comments on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" on Friday in advance of Sunday's Super Bowl game.
"I don't know if guys are going to take a knee," he said. "There was some hush money given to the guys. I think the hush money was given to them to not take a knee."
According to Fox News, Walker was referring to an offer made by the NFL in late November to donate $100 million to social justice organizations favored by players.
"The league gave the players a large sum of money toward their cause," Walker said. "That's hush money,"
He maintained that players never should have been kneeling in the first place.
And Walker said the men and women of the military make the U.S. great.
"Yet you have guys who want to kneel, want to talk about their First Amendment rights, Walker said. "Well, your First Amendment right should be, 'I want to stand for our military,'" he said.
Forbes estimated Sunday's Super Bowl broadcast will average well over 100 million, but the total audience likely will decline for the third consecutive year.
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