Breaking: Lone anthem protester explains his controversial stance

We reported earlier tonight that Tampa Bay Lightning forward JT Brown had decided to make a demonstration during the interpretation of the national anthem tonight. The 27-year-old raised his fist tonight, before his team's first road game of the season. He became the first NHL player to protest during the anthem.

After the game, Brown felt the need to explain why he took this controversial decision:

"I wanted to do something, show my support. You know, there's some issues that we have to talk about, so in my mind, I'm just trying to bring a little bit more awareness. You know, any type of conversation that we can get started would be great."

He added that he is not sure whether or not his teammate fully agree with his move or not, but said that they support it.

Brown and fellow NHLer Joel Ward of the San Jose Sharks spoke about the possibility of kneeling during the anthem, with the latter eventually deciding against it. This isn't taking a knee, but it shows solidarity with the black community and other athletes protesting racism in America.

Brown is an undrafted American player entering his 5th season with the Lightning. He has 57 career points in 262 regular season games.