Posted on 06/11/2020 12:16:02 PM PDT by knighthawk
Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella has drastically changed his stance on players protesting during the national anthem in the wake of George Floyd’s death and the protests that ensued.
Tortorella famously took a strong stance against the protest in 2016 when serving as head coach for Team USA during the World Cup of Hockey, telling ESPN at the time that he would bench any player refusing to stand for the national anthem.
“If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
John Tortorella wants to make sure his career is Stayin’ Alive.
Why?
League orders, its happening in all sports even those in Europe!
“I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out.”
- Rodney Dangerfield
Today, it would be “I went to a fight the other night, and a political protest broke out.” I doubt that many people want to pay good money to watch spoiled brats insult our flag, our anthem, our country, our military, and our ancestors. The NHL may die a self-inflicted death alongside so many other institutions, and I will celebrate at that funeral.
Considering that 75% of the NHL players are not American, and few of the Americans are black, why is this even an issue in the NHL? There has been almost total capitulation by all pro sports, corporations, politicians, law enforcement and the military. President Trump stands almost alone in refusing to drink this deadly koolaid.
Progressives always win. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but they always win. The most important issue, gun control, is the one taking the longest. They’ll win that one eventually because they never stop.
And then they turn every place into Seattle
It came down from the owners, which likely came down from the league.
#PanderingFool
American Sports are dead to me.
“They call me the Brees!”
My list of sports to watch on TV for the last few years has been Nascar, Hockey, & Tennis. Nascar removed themselves with the banning of the Confederate flag and a few other things. Hockey can’t be far behind the way they are going. Tennis has been idle so I don’t know where they are headed. Even the Motor Trend channel had the winfrey woman on last night. I will now take my TV out back and shoot it. Fortunately there is still FR.
Sports needed to die, and all this will ensure that it happens.
TV oriented sports have become a joke.
I work out 2 hrs per day. On days I don’t work out, I am in the mountains and woods riding dirt bikes.
Be your own professional athlete.
I know his track record well. He's an overrated coach (that 2016 team was a putrid 0-3 in the World Cup of Hockey tournament), and an @sshole to boot. Do a YouTube search for videos with names like "sports interviews gone bad," and you'll find that this guy is involved in like 25% of the video clips that make the cut.
If he was coaching Team USA and one of his players staged a protest over an opposing team's national anthem, that player would be benched and probably suspended. That just goes to show you how stupid and irrational the whole thing has become.
Despite softening his stance on the issue, Tortorella did not say outright that he would approve of one of his players taking a knee.
It's worth noting that coaching an NHL team and coaching a national team are two very different roles. NHL players are professional athletes who play under contracts they sign with their teams -- which tell them what they can and cannot do. Players who can't stand respectfully for the national anthem have no business playing on a national team, period.
English soccer clubs posted pics of their players kneeling. Management decided to get it over with and avoid getting caught up this mess and get back to playing. Now pubbie senators are okay with changing names this is too much right now!
I agree. The only real sport on was motor racing, and NASCAR was only slightly more real racing than WWE was real wrestling (it isn’t). Everything else was just spectacle for the idiots.
“And then they turn every place into Seattle”
Coincidentally, Seattle has been awarded an NHL franchise to start playing this year or next.
Up until 2 years ago when I had a heart problem I played tennis 4 times a week. After the heart trouble I cut it to 2-3 times a week. At 79 I am still competitive at doubles with 50 -60 year olds. But with this covid thing I have not played at all. I still cut my grass and go out to the garage to work on the antique cars. But thank you for your advice.
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