Saints running back Alvin Kamara received a controversial request this week ahead of the pre-draft meeting.

Kamara, 23, was slated to be drafted earlier than pick No. 67, but after refusing to remove his nose ring he chose to decline without hesitation.

In a recent interview with Andrew Hawkins of Uninterrupted.com, the football star explained his stance on the matter.

“I had a team before I went into a meeting, one of the guys came up to me and was like, ‘Well, you’re about to go in with the G.M. so, you know, he doesn’t really understand the nose rings and things like that. So you might want to — can you take them out or tuck them?’ I was like, ‘No.’

“Basically, if you don’t understand it or you don’t like it, then you don’t need to draft me. It wouldn’t be a good choice to draft me.”

Kamara may be young but he is certainly confident in his own skin and refuses to sell his soul for fame and fortune, and while some may find his decision questionable, it’s actually refreshing and admirable.

Megan Rapinoe, the co-captain of the United States women’s national team, has been silently protesting at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Rapinoe has been publicly objecting to participating in the national anthem by standing with her arms at her side and remaining silent during the National Anthem.

Protesting during the national anthem is something that Rapinoe has done since 2016, but it is once again garnering a boatload of buzz, including the attention of President Donald Trump.

Trump made his remarks on Rapinoe during an interview with The Hill. When he was asked about whether the Rapinoe’s decision to kneel is appropriate, Trump responded: “No. I don’t think so.”

Earlier this year, Rapinoe mentioned actions were a stand against Trump and discussed being inspired by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

“But Colin Kaepernick very much inspired me, and inspired an entire nation, and still does, to actually think about these things,” she told Yahoo Sports. “The way he spoke about them so clearly, so matter-of-fact, wasn’t trying to convince anyone. Just, ‘This is what is happening, this is what I’m willing to do about it.’ I found that extremely inspiring and convicting. Like, how can you not support?”

She also penned an essay recently in the Players’ Tribune to expand on her boycott of the anthem.

“I haven’t experienced over-policing, racial profiling, police brutality or the sight of a family member’s body lying dead in the street. But I cannot stand idly by while there are people in this country who have had to deal with that kind of heartache,” Rapinoe wrote.

“There is no perfect way to protest. I know that nothing I do will take away the pain of those families. But I feel in my heart it is right to continue to kneel during the national anthem, and I will do whatever I can to be part of the solution.”