Is Stevie Johnson a secret agent doing reconnaissance work in the United States for everyone's least favorite hermit kingdom, North Korea? Judging from a quick glance at the replies on his Twitter page, it would appear many think so. 
 
 The always-outspoken Buffalo Bills wide receiver ruffled a few feathers in New England on Wednesday night when he started talking about North Korea's escalating nuclear threats toward the United States and other world powers. But if Kim Jong Un and his pals won't "chill out," Johnson said, there's one spot he wouldn't miss if it was targeted. 
 
 That place? Foxboro, Massachusetts, home of the New England Patriots and a location where the Bills haven't recorded a victory since November 5, 2000. 
 
 Here are Johnson's tweets: 
 
 North Korea tripping hard AF right now. Chill out with that Nuke talk. #uMadBro — STVN (@StevieJohnson13) April 3, 2013 
 
 War is nothing to be played with. I apologize North Korea........but if y'all do bomb 1st... Bomb Foxboro, Mass. Sincerely,#BillsMafia — STVN (@StevieJohnson13) April 3, 2013 
 
 Patriots fans, understandably, didn't take too kindly to Johnson's remarks. It wasn't a very nice thing to say and no one wants to picture Gillette Stadium as a hole in the ground with Kim Jong Un playing the role of Bane. 
 
 The rest of the league probably doesn't want to picture it either. Who knows what all that radiation might do to Bill Belichick? How large would his ego and coaching prowess be? Do they even make sleeveless hoodies that big? Nope, not a road we want to go down. 
 
 So, yeah, Johnson's joke was in bad taste. But given that most American citizens aren't taking North Korea very seriously, how can you fault a wide receiver for doing the same thing? 
 
 Plus, it's not as if Kim Jong Un and his staff are going to listen to anything Johnson says. (We all know that role is reserved for Dennis Rodman.) 
 
 After taking a lot of criticism, Johnson later backed off with this tweet. 
 
 i know some of yall took it too serious.. but i have Much Respect for The Pats along with Every other NFL Team. Gonna to be a Great #NFL2013 — STVN (@StevieJohnson13) April 4, 2013 
 
 So long as we're all still here, of course. 
 
 h/t: Game On! 
 
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 • Johnny Manziel says the Texas-Texas A&M; rivalry is over ||||| Denver Broncos tight end Virgil Green (85) gestures as teammate Max Garcia, left, takes a knee during the playing of the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Denver Broncos tight end Virgil Green (85) gestures as teammate Max Garcia, left, takes a knee during the playing of the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus) (Associated Press) 
 
 President Donald Trump's comments about owners firing players who kneel during the national anthem sparked a mass increase in such protests around the National Football League Sunday, as more than 130 players sat, knelt or raised their fists in defiance during early games. 
 
 A week ago, just four players didn't stand and two raised their fists. 
 
 Defensive star Von Miller was among the majority of Denver Broncos who took a knee in Buffalo Sunday, where Bills running back LeSean McCoy stretched during the "Star Spangled Banner." In Chicago, the Pittsburgh Steelers stayed in the tunnel except for one player, Army veteran Alejandro Villanueva, who stood outside with a hand over his heart. Tom Brady was among the New England Patriots who locked arms in solidarity in Foxborough, Massachusetts. 
 
 The president's comments turned the anthems — usually sung during commercials — into must-watch television shown live by the networks and Yahoo!, which streamed the game in London. In some NFL stadiums, crowds booed or yelled at players to stand. There was also some applause. 
 
 NFL players, coaches, owners and executives used the anthems to show solidarity in their defiance to Trump's criticism. 
 
 In Detroit, anthem singer Rico Lavelle took a knee at the word "brave," lowering his head and raising his right fist into the air. 
 
 Jets Chairman and CEO Christopher Johnson, whose brother, Woody, is the ambassador to England and one of Trump's most ardent supporters, called it "an honor and a privilege to stand arm-in-arm unified with our players during today's national anthem" in East Rutherford, New Jersey. 
 
 The issue reverberated across the Atlantic, where about two dozen players, including Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs and Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette, took a knee during the playing of the U.S. anthem at Wembley Stadium. 
 
 "We stand with our brothers," Suggs said. "They have the right and we knelt with them today. To protest, non-violent protest, is as American as it gets, so we knelt with them today to let them know that we're a unified front. There ain't no dividing us. I guess we're all son-of-a-bitches." 
 
 Jaguars owner Shad Khan and players on both teams who were not kneeling remained locked arm-in-arm throughout the playing of the anthem and "God Save The Queen." No players were knelt during the British anthem. 
 
 Trump saw the arm-in-arm gestures as a victory . Among his latest tweets on the top Sunday was this: "Great solidarity for our National Anthem and for our Country. Standing with locked arms is good, kneeling is not acceptable. Bad ratings!" 
 
 A handful of NFL players have refused to stand during the anthem to protest several issues, including police brutality. But that number ballooned Sunday following Trump's two-day weekend rant that began with the president calling for NFL protesters to be fired and continued Saturday with the president rescinding a White House invitation for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors over star Stephen Curry's criticism of Trump. 
 
 The movement started more than a year ago when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Collin Kaepernick refused to stand during the national anthem as a protest of police treatment of racial minorities. This season, no team has signed him, and some supporters believe NFL owners are avoiding him because of the controversy. 
 
 A handful of Miami Dolphins players wore black T-shirts supporting Kaepernick during pregame warm-ups. The shirts have "#IMWITHKAP" written in bold white lettering on the front. 
 
 Trump's targeting of top professional athletes in football and basketball brought swift condemnation from executives and players in the National Football League and the National Basketball Association. 
 
 Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin defended Trump's attacks Sunday, saying on ABC's "This Week" that the president thinks "owners should have a rule that players should have to stand in respect for the national anthem." Mnuchin added that "they can do free speech on their own time." 
 
 The National Hockey League's reigning champion Pittsburgh Penguins announced Sunday they've accepted a White House invitation from Trump. The Penguins said they respect the office of the president and "the long tradition of championship team visiting the White House." 
 
 "Any agreement or disagreement with a president's politics, policies or agenda can be expressed in other ways," the Penguins said. "However, we very much respect the rights of other individuals and groups to express themselves as they see fit." 
 
 Before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals in Minneapolis on Sunday, the Los Angeles Sparks left the floor while the Minnesota Lynx stood arm-in-arm. The Sparks returned to a chorus of boos when the song was finished. 
 
 Sports hasn't been immune from America's deep political rifts, but the president's delving into the NFL protests started by Kaepernick brought new attention to the issues. 
 
 "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you'd say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He's fired,'" Trump said to loud applause Friday night at a rally in Huntsville, Alabama. 
 
 "If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!" Trump said in a Sunday morning tweet. 
 
 Trump also mocked the league's crackdown on illegal hits, suggesting the league had softened because of its safety initiatives, which stem from an increased awareness of the devastating effects of repeated hits to the head. 
 
 Kahn, who was among the NFL owners who chipped in $1 million to the Trump inauguration committee, said he met with his team captains before kickoff in London "to express my support for them, all NFL players and the league following the divisive and contentious remarks made by President Trump." 
 
 Trump's comments drew sharp responses from some of the nation's top athletes, with LeBron James calling the president a "bum." Hours later, Major League Baseball saw its first player take a knee during the national anthem. 
 
 The NFL its players, often at odds, have been united in condemning the president's criticisms. 
 
 Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who's been a strong supporter of the president, expressed "deep disappointment" with Trump. 
 
 The NFL, meanwhile, said it would re-air a unity spot called "Inside These Lines" during its Sunday night game between Oakland and Washington on NBC. "Inside These Lines" is a 60-second video that highlights the power of football to bring people together. 
 
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 For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL 
 
 ___ 
 
 AP Sports Writers Dennis Waszak Jr., Steve Reed, Larry Lage and Stephen Whyno and Associated Press Writer Zac Boyer contributed. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: http://twitter.com/arniestapleton ||||| Trump: U.S., North Korea 'down to two countries' for location of summit with Kim Jong Un 
 
 President Donald Trump said Friday the U.S. and North Korea are "down to two countries" in discussions over where to hold his highly anticipated meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though he did not specify which were under consideration. 
 
 "I think some very good things can happen with respect to North Korea. We're setting up meetings now," Trump said during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House. "We're down to two countries as to a site. We'll let you know what that site is." 
 
 Story Continued Below 
 
 The remarks signal progress in talks between officials from the two countries in ironing out the logistics of the historic summit, which Trump said will take place "in the coming weeks." Last week the president said that five countries had been under consideration to host the talks. 
 
 Asked whether he has communicated directly with Kim, the president declined to comment. 
 
 Trump earlier on Friday weighed in on the historic meeting between the leaders of North and South Korea, tweeting that “good things are happening, but only time will tell!” 
 
 The president's tweet comes as South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in South Korea on Friday. The meeting marked the first time a leader of the reclusive North Korean Kim dynasty has visited the South since the combatant nations in the Korean War signed an armistice in 1953. 
 
 Please do not forget the great help that my good friend, President Xi of China, has given to the United States, particularly at the Border of North Korea. Without him it would have been a much longer, tougher, process! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 27, 2018 
 
 Kim and Moon on Friday agreed to push for denuclearizing their respective countries and ending hostilities over “land, sea and air,” according to The Associated Press. 
 
 “After a furious year of missile launches and Nuclear testing, a historic meeting between North and South Korea is now taking place. Good things are happening, but only time will tell!” Trump followed that post with another tweet Friday morning, writing, “KOREAN WAR TO END! The United States, and all of its GREAT people, should be very proud of what is now taking place in Korea!” 
 
 Trump went on to tweet effusive praise for Chinese President Xi Jinping. 
 
 The president appeared slightly more optimistic about the prospect of peace on the Korean Peninsula later Friday when he welcomed to the White House members of Team USA who participated in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, which took place in February in Pyeongchang, South Korea. 
 
 “Hopefully the day will come when Olympic athletes can compete on a Korean Peninsula that is free of nuclear weapons, and where all Koreans can live together and can share their dreams," Trump said. "It would be a wonderful thing to do." 
 
 Trump: 'I think I have a responsibility' on North Korea 
 
 Flanked by dozens of American athletes sporting white windbreakers and glossy medals, Trump seized upon the largely congratulatory ceremony to take credit for recent diplomatic overtures in the region. 
 
 "I want to express my hope that all the people of Korea — North Korea and South — can someday live in harmony, prosperity and peace, and it looks like it could happen," he said. "When I began, people were saying that was an impossibility. They said there were two alternatives — let them have what they have, or go to war. And now we have a much better alternative than anybody thought even possible." 
 
 Trump also said he will "be meeting with Kim Jong Un in the coming weeks" in an attempt to "denuclearize the North Korean area and the entire Korean Peninsula,” though in recent days he has declined to state definitively that such a summit will actually take place. 
 
 Asked later what he would do if Kim was acting insincerely in his efforts to come to a diplomatic agreement with the U.S, Trump said that he didn't think the North Korea leader was "playing" with U.S. officials. Speaking to reporters at the White House alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump also took an indirect jab at his predecessors for their approach on North Korea. 
 
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 "The United States in the past was played like a fiddle," he said. The president added that his administration is "not going to be played" by Kim and that he was prepared to walk away from talks if the situation worsened. 
 
 “It could be that I walk out quickly with respect, or could be that the meeting doesn't even take place. Who knows?” Trump told the hosts of "Fox & Friends" in a phone interview on Thursday. 
 
 Trump is set to meet with Kim, a leader who the president has described previously as a “madman” and a “maniac,” but whom Trump has recently praised as “very honorable.” 
 
 Trump previously vowed to destroy North Korea if it continued to threaten the United States. The president made his comments in September after reports surfaced that North Korea could fit a miniaturized nuclear warhead inside a missile.
– Buffalo Bills player Stevie Johnson would really like North Korea to "chill out with that nuke talk." But if it doesn't, the wide receiver has suggested a target for Kim Jong Un's agression: "War is nothing to be played with. I apologize North Korea........but if y'all do bomb 1st... Bomb Foxboro, Mass. Sincerely, # BillsMafia " he tweeted to his 122,000 followers yesterday. Foxboro, Mass., is the home of the New England Patriots, where the Bills haven't had a victory in 13 years, says Yahoo! Sports. Unsurprisingly, the online backlash to the joke came thick and fast. A few hours later, Johnson tweeted something akin to an apology: "i know some of yall took it too serious.. but i have Much Respect for The Pats along with Every other NFL Team. Gonna to be a Great #NFL2012." Then something not so akin to an apology: "PatsFans i lo...like yall also. ask any1 in my fam. ive said TheBoro is my fav place to play-bkuz you Pats fans are Live! BUT not for long.."