LOS ANGELES – Citing his faith as a Christian man and his desire to remain consistent in his beliefs, Giants reliever Sam Coonrod explained why he did not kneel during a pre-game drive moment at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.
“I didn’t mean bad will,” said Coonrod. “I don’t think he is better than anyone. I am just a Christian. I think I cannot kneel before anything other than God, Jesus Christ. I chose not to kneel. I feel like if I knelt down, I would be a hypocrite. I don’t want to be a hypocrite.
Before playing the national anthem on Opening Night, all players and coaches of both the Dodgers and the Giants held a long piece of black cloth, and all but Coonrad knelt as well. Coonrod held the cloth together with everyone else, but remained standing.
The moment of silence was intended to support the Black Lives Matter movement, which Coonrod said he has struggled to adopt.
“I am a Christian,” said Coonrod. “I can’t address a couple of things that I’ve read about Black Lives Matter, how they lean toward Marxism and said some negative things about the nuclear family.”
The Washington Nationals and New York Yankees also participated in the same pregame ceremony and all members of both teams knelt.
The idea for the socially distant ceremony came from former Giants outfielder Andrew McCutchen, who told ESPN that the scene could show how MLB players will support each other in a collective fight against injustice.
After Thursday’s 8-1 loss to the Dodgers, Giants manager Gabe Kapler said he had a conversation with Coonrod about his decision to remain standing and emphasized the importance of supporting all of his players, regardless of their points of view.
“The only thing we said is that we are going to let people express themselves,” Kapler said. “We are going to give them the option of whether to stand up, kneel, or do something else. That was a personal decision for Sam. “
Kapler has been an outspoken advocate of the Black Lives Matter movement and became the first coach in baseball to kneel during the performance of the national anthem before an exhibition game in Oakland on Monday. The Giants first-year manager posted a statement on his Twitter page Thursday explaining his decision to kneel before the anthem and his continued dissatisfaction with the way the United States has handled issues of racial justice and equality.
On Friday, Kapler said that he and Coonrod spoke about their different views and will continue to have regular talks to understand each other better.
“Sam and I have spoken every day and I support him in expressing and sharing his beliefs,” said Kapler. “I support all of our players to share their thoughts and that means that we can have a conversation about really important issues when we are constantly communicating. Sam said he will speak more to people on these issues because of the events of the night before and I am happy to share my position with him. “
Coonrod said he was told about the moment of unity in the clubhouse just minutes before Thursday’s game and wished he had a chance to speak to his teammates beforehand.
Several of the Coonrod Giants’ teammates, including outfielders Hunter Pence, Jaylin Davis, Mike Yastrezmski and Austin Slater, knelt during the hymn’s performance this week, and Coonrod said he made no decision to do so against them.
He also said Kapler has supported him despite his different views.
“He won’t be mad if I disagree with him,” said Coonrod. “I think that is part of the problem today: people get angry when someone disagrees. I’m not mad at someone who decided to kneel down. I just don’t think it’s too much to ask that I just have the same respect. “
