Chris Brown joined the national anthem protest on Sunday, September 11, by refusing to stand while it was performed before a charity basketball game in Los Angeles.
The 27-year-old singer became the latest star to back 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest of racial injustice.
Before belting out “The Star-Spangled Banner,” R&B singer Tank urged the crowd to stand in respect for the men and women who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks 15 years ago.
But Brown remained seated and instead appeared to laugh with his friends as those around him stood up.
Although he seemed impressed by the vocals, nodding his head and clapping at the end of the performance, his decision to sit down sparked uproar on Twitter.
Fans quickly branded him “vile” and “disgusting.”
Brown’s behavior at the 5th Annual Power 106 Celebrity Basketball Game came hot on the heels of his recent arrest on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
Police swarmed Brown’s home in Tarzana, California, on Tuesday, August 30, after a woman named Baylee Curran accused him of aiming a gun at her head.
There was an hours-long standoff during which the troubled singer posted a foulmouthed video to Instagram declaring his innocence.
He also verbally attacked the police for making him out to be a villain, saying, “It’s always gon’ be f–k the police.”
Brown has since spoken out about the incident, insisting, “My character has been defaced.”
