MLB Note - Oakland Athletics Maxwell, Bruce

Sep 24, 2017 - 7:45 AM C Bruce Maxwell became the first major-league baseball player to kneel during the national anthem as he joined a protest against racial injustice that former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began last season. Maxwell is an African American who was born in Wiesbaden, Germany, where his father, Bruce, was stationed with the Army during a tour of duty. Maxwell posted a strong response on Instagram opposing President Donald Trump's recent criticism of NFL players who kneel during the anthem. "My kneeling, the way I did it was to symbolize the fact that I'm kneeling for a cause, but I'm in no way or form disrespecting my country or my flag," Maxwell said Saturday after a 1-0 victory against Texas. A's OF Mark Canha placed a hand on Maxwell's shoulder during the anthem. "I went up to Bruce and asked if it was OK if I did that," Canha said. "He told everyone before the game what he was going to do and I could tell he was getting kind of choked up and emotional about his beliefs and how he feels about the racial discrimination that's going on in this country right now, and I felt like every fiber in my being was telling me that he needed a brother today." Maxwell was sidelined for a second straight game as he continued to undergo concussion tests. He left Oakland's game at Detroit on Wednesday in the ninth inning after taking a hard foul ball off his mask.