On Friday, Sept. 22, President Trump tweeted: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b—- off the field right now. If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL, or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect … our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU’RE FIRED. Find something else to do!”
Trump called Kaepernick ‘son of b—-‘ for standing against racial violence
The Twitter tirade continued with a series of tweets demanding NFL commissioner Roger Goodell tell players to stand during the anthem and calling for certain players to “stop disrespecting our flag and country” or be fired. The ripple effect has resulted in NFL players, coaches and team owners linking arms in solidarity to show unity despite the president’s divisive and inappropriate tweets. Others like Pittsburgh Steelers players and head coach Mike Tomlin stayed in the locker room, skipping the national anthem altogether.
During last Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, eight Detroit Lions players joined athletes across the NFL to kneel or sit during the national anthem. The controversial protest first made headlines when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt in protest to police brutality perpetrated against Blacks in America.
While Tahir Whitehead, Ameer Abdullah, A’Shawn Robinson, Akeem Spence, Jeremiah Ledbetter, Steve Longa, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Cornelius Washington knelt, Detroit Lions tight end Eric Ebron choose to stand apart from his teammates, calling out POTUS for the level of disrespect shown to NFL players standing up for what’s right. This isn’t the first time a Lions’ player has been vocal about racism and injustice. Lions’ safety Glover Quin recently linked up with former 49ers wide receiver-now activist Anquan Boldin and three other NFL stars (Philadelphia Eagles’ safety Malcolm Jenkins, Cleveland Browns’ quarterback Josh McCown and wide receiver Andrew Hawkins) to meet with legislators in Washington, D.C., about the need for criminal justice reform.
“Things are happening every day that we all know shouldn’t be happening, but until somebody stands up and stops it, it’s going to continue to happen,” Quin stated. “So for the president to basically tell the people who are trying to make a difference that they need to stop like I said, you obviously know what side of the fence he’s on.”
Even national anthem singer Rico LaVelle joined in on the protest, kneeling and raising his fist at the conclusion of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The display was met with criticism and even boos that only intensified when the Lions’ last-minute win was marred by a controversial 10-second runoff call costing them the game.
Still, other fans stand behind the team intermingling politics with football. Retired US Army staff sergeant can see both sides of the controversy from two varying perspectives — one as a Black man and the other as a U.S. veteran.
“I got a certain thing about the flag myself but flags have only the meaning people give them. It’s a piece of cloth with some stitches in it. What does it stand for? Forget about the flag, what are we doing to each other?” he told the Detroit Free Press. “How are you pissed about the protest but not pissed about young kids getting shot for dumb stuff? The flag is three colors. America has so much more than that. We’re a melting pot.”
Regardless of how fans feel about the Lions’ pre-game display, Martha Firestone Ford, owner of the Lions, supports the team’s need to make a statement.
“Our game has long provided a powerful platform for dialogue and positive change in many communities throughout our nation,” Ford said in a statement. “Thanks primarily to our players, the NFL also has been a unifying force in our country and impactful change has and hopefully will continue to be the result of a peaceful expression, done so in order to highlight social injustices of all kind. Negative and disrespectful comments suggesting otherwise are contrary to the founding principles of our country, and we do not support those comments or opinions.”
What do you think about the Detroit Lions joining Colin Kaepernick’s cause in protest of racial and social injustice? Are players and team owners banding together to show their solidarity and support after the president’s harsh words too little, too late? Sound off in the comments.
