The NFL regular season hasn’t begun yet but pre-season games are upon us.
And that means that the National Anthem is blaring before the start of the pre-season games, which means that anti-American players were sure to protest it by kneeling during our country’s song before the game.
And three players of a certain team protested the National Anthem, which came across as a bit of a shock.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has certainly been impressionable on many active players, which has also left a really bad taste in fans’ mouths when they protest the National Anthem.
He hasn’t been in the league for two years and these anti-American players continue to plague the league with embarrassing defiance of our great country.
Now that the pre-season is going on, gearing up for the regular, they still play the anthem before these lowly-rated games, and that didn’t dissuade players from supporting Kaepernick.
That didn’t dissuade players from supporting Kaepernick.
Three Miami Dolphins players, receiver Kenny Stills, receiver Albert Wilson and defensive end Robert Quinn all protested the National Anthem when they played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on August 9th.
Stills and Wilson both knelt while Quinn raised his fist in virtue of the 1968 Summer Olympics of Americans who did the same thing.
But it was the fact that Miami Dolphins players did this that came across as a little bit of a shock.
It all began approximately two months ago when the NFL decided to implement a new rule that would punish players for kneeling during the National Anthem with either a suspension or a fine.
The league subsequently asked for teams to submit their own rules and regulations on this particular subject and that’s when it hit the fan.
The Associated Press got their hands on the amendment of the Dolphins’ player conduct policy, which stated that they would suspend players for violating this rule for up to four games – without pay.
Liberal outrage ran rampant through social media. They were furious because it was a violation of the First Amendment of free speech although that’s incorrect.
The First Amendment protects those who are demonstrating free speech from government prosecution and makes no mention of the employer/employee relationship.
The First Amendment protects those who are demonstrating free speech from government prosecution
Wisely so, an employer should never have to be unable to legally fire an employee for saying ridiculous things even though it’s damaging the owner’s bottom line.
It was then that the NFL and the NFL Players Association decided to suspend the rule after the Dolphins’ conduct policy was made public.
Even the Dolphins owner, Stephen Ross, backpedaled because of the immense backlash.
Ross’ statement read, “The one line sentence related to the national anthem was a placeholder as we haven’t made a decision on what we would do, if anything, at that point.”
Many fans frustrated with these anthem-protests regarded Ross as a hero until he made this statement. His players should stand and he shouldn’t have to apologize.
Ross even said, “I’m pleased that the NFL and NFLPA are taking a pause to figure out a resolution to this issue. I am passionate about social justice, and through the Miami Dolphins and the creation of (Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality), will continue to use the unifying power of sports to improve race relations and drive social progress.”
And that’s when Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones got involved and picked up the torch that Ross shamelessly left behind.
Jones and his players have all agreed that they will stand for the National Anthem next season and there will be no excuses.
It’s unclear how Ross feels about his star players deciding to protest, but it looks as though there will be no repercussions for those players, which is a crying shame.