CHARLOTTE, NC -- As pro football returns to the field, so does the debate over the national anthem.
The NFL season kicks off Thursday night on NBC Charlotte with the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles. The Carolina Panthers open the season at home on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
As fans were getting hyped for the upcoming season, Nike brought back controversy with a new campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick. The ad reads, "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything."
The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback began the national anthem controversy when he took a knee during the song back in 2016 to protest police brutality and social inequality.
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and wide receiver Devin Funchess addressed the Nike campaign on Wednesday.
"We're all entitled to our own opinion. We all have freedom of speech and can believe in any and everything we wanna believe in. From man to man, I respect the hell out of him, and that's pretty much all I got to say," Newton explained.
"I've seen Colin Kaepernick; I thought his message was in the right direction. I mean, he did lose his job and he stood for something he wanted to stand for," said Funchess.
The Nike ad will debut on Thursday night during the first NFL game of the season.
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