Albright College Dismissed 2 Football Players for Not Kneeling Before Anthem

Albright College has dismissed two players from the team for failing to kneel during the coin toss prior to an Oct. 7 homecoming game against Delaware Valley at Shirk Stadium.           

On Friday, Albright president Dr. Jacquelyn S. Fetrow told Beth Hudson and Karen Shuey of the Reading Eagle the players didn't go along with a team-wide decision to show unity. 

"... Going forward, if players are on the field or court when the anthem is played, all coaches will support their team players who choose to either stand or kneel during the anthem," Fetrow said in a statement.

Backup quarterback Gyree Durante was dismissed from Albright's football team earlier this week after he knelt during the national anthem prior to the Delaware Valley game, per ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach. 

Durante explained why he decided to take a knee to protest social injustice and racism.

"At some point in life, there's going to be a time when you've got to take a stand," he told NBC 10 Philadelphia. "For me it just happened to be on Saturday afternoon."

Speaking to Hudson and Shuey about the two unnamed players dismissed Friday, Durante said he was "shocked" when he found out.

"I feel bad that they had to go through the same thing I did," he said, per the Reading Eagle. "It was a little different for me because I knew the risks, and I don't know if these guys really understood the consequences."