Sebastian Stan is sorry for sharing a tone deaf "take the knee" meme.

Last year, as a means to protest police violence against unarmed black people, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to kneel, rather than stand, for "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a preseason game. His demonstration triggered a chain of events, culminating at a Sept. 22 rally, in which President Donald Trump called any player who kneels a "son of a bitch." In response, many athletes—and in some cases, entire NFL teams—decided to "take the knee."

In late September, Stan shared a meme showing disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding sitting next to her rival Nancy Kerrigan, captioned, "Back when 'taking a knee' meant taking a knee." The actor, who plays Harding's ex Jeff Gillooly in Neon's I, Tonya, saw it as an opportunity to promote the film. "Exactly... Can't wait to share #itonya with you... Dec 8th - NY & LA Jan 19th - everywhere else #90slife #90shair #90shorror," he wrote. "Thank you @misterpat for this gem."

After reading some negative Instagram comments, Stan cleared the air. "For anyone confused for whatever reason right now, please know that this was not meant to be offensive or make fun of a serious matter, but a lighthearted way to promote my movie, which is ALSO about a very serious subject matter," he wrote. "So before you start throwing stones at me, recognize where I come from and the kind of person that I am and what I stand for. I've been very vocal about that. Thank you." Amid backlash, Stan decided to delete the Instagram meme.

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