NFL Hall of Fame coach Mike Ditka said athletes who kneel during the national anthem should “leave the country.”
After strongly criticizing former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and others for starting the Black Lives Matter solidarity movement in 2016, the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police has not changed Ditka’s outlook.
“If you can’t respect our national anthem, get out of the country,” Ditka said during an interview with TMZ on Sunday.
“This is how I feel. Of course, I’m out of fashion, “continued the former announcer. “So, I’m just going to say what I feel … You don’t protest against the flag, and you don’t protest against this country that has given you the opportunity to live playing a sport that you never thought would happen. Therefore, I don’t want to hear all The trash “.
Floyd’s death on Memorial Day has sparked massive protests in cities across the country that have continued throughout the summer.
As sports like the MLB and NBA return during the coronavirus pandemic, both leagues have given players the opportunity to express their support for the BLM movement through their uniforms and other clothing worn during warm-ups.
On MLB Opening Day earlier this week, the entire rosters of the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees knelt for a minute as they grabbed a single long black cloth that stretched behind the foul lines. . The teams rose for the anthem.
When the NFL returns, stars like Adrian Peterson said they “will undoubtedly” kneel during the anthem.
President Trump, another top athlete critic who knelt in 2016, said last week that he expected[d] to see all the professional athletes stand up for the anthem this year.
“There are many places where you can protest,” he said during an appearance on Fox News at the time. “You don’t have to protest the raising of our flag.”
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