Oakland A's catcher Bruce Maxwell kneels during national anthem

ByLonni Rivera

Sunday, September 24, 2017

A's catcher Bruce Maxwell kneels during national anthem. Nydia Han reports during Action News at 6:30 a.m. on September 24, 2017.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Oakland A's rookie catcher Bruce Maxwell became the first MLB player to take a knee during the national anthem Saturday.

FULL VIDEO: Bruce Maxwell fields questions after kneeling during national anthem

Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell took questions following a game against the Rangers where he knelt during the national anthem Saturday.

Before this moment, Maxwell made it known that President Donald Trump's rhetoric on Twitter had taken the movement to another level.

Maxwell tweeted Saturday morning, "Don't be surprised if you start seeing athletes kneeling in other sports now!! Comments like that coming from our president. WOW!"

And, he tweeted again saying, "Inequality is being displayed bigger than ever right now as our president shows that freedom of protest and speech is not allowed.."

The A's issued a statement saying, "the Oakland A's pride ourselves on being inclusive. We respect and support all of our player's constitutional rights and freedom of expression."

Maxwell said this decision was one of the hardest things he had to do. He informed the team about it ahead of the game. And, it's something he plans to continue to do.