from Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times,

Lightning wing J.T. Brown wants to make one thing clear.

"I have no ill will towards John Tortorella," he said.

That doesn't mean Brown, 26, agrees with everything the Team USA coach says. And Brown, 26, an African American, took to Twitter this week to let his voice be heard on Tortorella's statement that he'd bench any Team USA player who didn't stand for the national anthem, like 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has famously done. Kaepernick has kneeled/sat during the anthem in protest of America's treatment of minorities.

"Wouldn't benching a black man for taking a stance only further prove Kap's point of oppression?" Brown tweeted...

Brown wanted to explain his perspective, which he did Thursday in a statement to the Tampa Bay Times.

“I’d like to make it clear that I have no ill will towards John Tortorella. I do not know him. I responded to a story on Twitter with my opinion and that was how I saw it. He sees the situation through his reality and I see it through mine, as a black athlete in the NHL. I know I’m not on the United States World Cup roster, but I have had a chance to represent my country on other occasions. My tweet was a hypothetical. What if I took a stance to promote awareness for one of the many injustices still occurring in our country and was punished despite there being no rule or law against it? My tweet was a response to that question....

read on for more from Brown...