The controversy arises in large part because the kneeling is for the expressed purpose of protesting the anthem, America, Americanism, history, etc..
The skin in the game comment has to do with how those kneeling are utterly clueless about what they are doing* because they have no actual skin in the game; whereas the cop is clued into what he is doing because he has skin in the game.
*They're protesting something that isn't even real. They're protesting fake news, fake narrative. They live in ivory towers and act like they're simpatico with the streets. They don't know history, they don't know philosophy. They're protesting essentially that which gives them the right to protest in the first place. They epitomize ignorance and solidarity with harmful ideas. They epitomize a pitfall of when one doesn't have skin in the game.
The cop OTOH might not know any of this abstractly or in a way that he could explain it, yet he experiences it. He has skin in the game. He puts his life on the line. He lives on the streets. He salutes the nation because he believes the nation is good, and he believes the nation is good because of its cultural ideals that he experiences every day. The ideals at the heart of why the kneelers kneel have destroyed nations.
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