J.T. Brown says he has "no ill will towards John Tortorella" - he just thinks it's important to express his own perspective.

Related: Tortorella 'not backing off' national anthem stance

After the Team USA and Columbus Blue Jackets head coach said he'd bench any players who decided to sit during the national anthem as NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick has done, the Tampa Bay Lightning forward tweeted the following.

While Brown has no such plans to protest during the anthem, he believes it's important to speak out for the benefit of young fans of the game.

"(Tortorella) sees the situation through his reality and I see it through mine, as a black athlete in the NHL," he wrote in a statement to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. "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."

"I love America and thank the military for protecting our freedoms, as well as law enforcement for protecting and serving our communities, but that doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge that there is still racism today," Brown continued. "I am glad my tweet provoked a discussion, because we need to start having a conversation about racism if we want to work towards a better America."

Brown added he will look for opportunities to positively impact his community and bring awareness to racial issues.

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