Teen receives lynching threat after taking a knee against racism

In the fall of 2016, Rodney Axson followed in Colin Kaepernick's footsteps.

Rodney, an African-American backup quarterback, took a knee during the national anthem right before a high school football match.

"We were in the locker room and...I heard two teammates of mine talking about using the n-word to the opposing team because they were predominantly a black team," says Rodney.

He stepped in and confronted them about it. 

"It was on the field right before the national anthem played and that's when they said it again. More teammates said we gotta continue to use that word throughout the whole game. 

"It was at that moment that I decided, you know what, I gotta take this knee. I gotta take this knee to prove my point, to show them that this is not right," says Rodney.

Though some people supported him, he also received backlash, included a disturbing note that referred to lynching and to Rodney as the n-word. 

Some of that backlash came from his own football teammates. 

"You feel trapped. You feel alone. Like if that's how they really feel about me...I thought that I could trust these people. Who can I trust then?...You spend more time with your teammates then you do with your own family."