Colin Kaepernick sparked national outrage back in August when he refused to stand during the National Anthem.

He has even been accused of causing NFL ratings to drop this season, according to Fox News.

In an interview with NFL Media, Kaepernick explained his reasoning behind his choice to kneel.

“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick said. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

While he’s received both praise and backlash, Kaepernick has started a conversation across the nation that has trickled all the way down to college and even high school sports.

For Pace Football, this was an opportunity to come together in a time of great divide.

Instead of teammates choosing to stand or take a knee during the anthem, the team decided to link arms on the sidelines to show unity.

“I understand the point that is trying to be made,” said football captain Delaney Wallace. “As the leadership group, we came together and said, ‘hey, instead of having a couple of people off to the side kneeling, can we do something as a team to show that everybody is in this together.’”

Wallace says that although there is a point to be made about the social injustices present in society, the team wanted to come together to support each other.

“We recognized that this was a prevalent piece of sports and that other teams we play will encounter it,” said Head Coach Andrew Rondeau. “We anticipated that there would be players who would want to use this opportunity for nonviolent protest. [The team] got out there and said, ‘Instead of letting this divide us-it’s a hard enough season as it is-let’s do this in a fashion where we can support each other.’”

Captain and defensive lineman Gavin Maher says that the team’s compromise allows them to honor the flag while still making a statement.

He and Wallace believe that the reason for backlash against Kaepernick is due to the fact that he used his prominence as a professional athlete to create an “uncomfortable conversation.”

“It’s easier to complain about the thing that he’s doing than to try to fix the problem that he’s trying to solve,” said Wallace. “A culture takes forever to change and it’s easier to ignore it and sidetrack the conversation.”