"Good afternoon Rotarians. Before we get started I want to say a few words about something that occurred at last week's meeting that resulted in various comments on social media. Following the singing of the National Anthem I made an off-the-cuff comment about being glad we didn't have anyone take a knee at our meeting. It was in no way intended to be critical of anyone. However, apparently several people took offense at my comment. I just want to say that it was not my intent to offend anyone, and to the extent I did so, I apologize. If anyone would like to further discuss this with me I would be glad to do so."