Ben Carson, President Donald Trump’s secretary of housing and urban development, on Sunday suggested that NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest police violence should thank the military in the process.

Carson’s comments appear to miss the point of the protests and back up his boss’ disdain for them at a time when kneeling ― a symbolic act of protest developed by former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, teammate Eric Reid and former Green Beret Nate Boyer ― is becoming more widely accepted.

Carson’s comments came against a backdrop of nationwide protests in response to the death of unarmed Black man George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

But Carson’s suggestion was aimed at NFL players who, like Kaepernick, have already expressed support for the military.

Kaepernick has not been signed by another NFL team since he began his silent protests in 2016.