Online racists accuse protesting NFL player whose brother died in Afghanistan of hating the military

An NFL player who stated he would retire before he allowed the league to force him to abandon his protest against police brutality is being attacked by racists online for hating the military -- despite the fact that members of his family have died in combat serving the U.S.

Thursday, Tennessee Titans’ wide receiver Rishard Matthews told Matt Parker of WSMV that he would be "done playing football" if the NFL makes it a requirement for players to stand during the national anthem.

According to the Tennessean, Matthews' father served in the military for 23 years and his half-brother, Chris Ruiz, was killed in action in Afghanistan -- but this didn't stop racists from accusing him of hating the military, with one writing, "I and other war veterans will honor your brother and father forever. You need to get a grip on what they sacrificed for you."

Matthews, who attended the University of Nevada at Reno -- the same college as ex-NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began the protests -- announced his decision on his Twitter page that features a picture of his late half brother.

You can see the tweets below: