The United States military engages in service and conflict partly to protect the rights granted under the nation’s laws. If those rights aren’t fully realized or exercisable, the sacrifices of military members lose meaning.

With that understanding, many veterans support NFL players who kneel during the anthem. Take John Middlemas, the 97-year-old World War II veteran from Missouri who knelt on Sunday in solidarity with players. His photo went viral with a quote: “Those kids have every right to protest.”

There’s also Nate Boyer, the former Green Beret and NFL longsnapper who stood alongisde Kaepernick and encouraged him to kneel — rather than sit — during the anthem. Plus Rory Fanning, an ex-Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan alongside former NFL star Pat Tillman.

“(Kaepernick) is choosing not to lie to himself, the world, or all the people who thought they died to ensure we lived in a free country, by claiming this is the land of the free when it is not,” Fanning told Jacobin last year. “This is the opposite of an insult to those who died thinking they were fighting for liberty.”

http://bestoflifecentral.com/anthem-kneeling-isnt-aimed-at-veterans-and-other-nfl-protest-misconceptions/

I think where the misunderstanding lies is that no one is saying they can't protest or don't have the right to..I think where a lot of the problem lies is that people do what they do and put up with all they have to and all the BS of the world and the worries of just trying to survive and thrive every day while handling so much more.
And maybe the fact is that they just want to put all that behind them and watch a football game without being reminded of all the unfair crap that comes with being a member of this world..They just want to relax surely we are all aware of all the injustice in this world ..and maybe it's just let's try to put some of this behind us for a few hours of relaxation and play the game.

As far as protest one could easily stop it and not infringe on the players right to protest they just have to prohibit protesting of any kind at the football stadiums..