Posted on 09/11/2016 9:25:41 PM PDT by sargon
Fellow FReepers, like many of you, I was appalled today at the disrespect for the national anthem of this country which was displayed by some NFL players on some teams.
I would like to create a list of all NFL teams, along with what their players did during the playing of the national anthem before each NFL game this week.
My team is the Miami Dolphins, and to my dismay, 4 Dolphins players (Arian Foster, Jelani Jenkins, Michael Thomas, and Kenny Stills) took a knee and refused to stand at attention during the playing of our national anthem before the Dolphins-Seahawks game.
In contrast, the Seattle Seahawks stood as a team and locked arms, and were respectful, so I have no complaint about their behavior.
What makes this most upsetting is that this disrespect occurred on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks that killed almost 3000 Americans.
Thus, I'm in search of a new team to root for, at least temporarily, and I will be boycotting the Dolphins, their sponsors, and any sponsors who have business relationships with any of the 4 players who engaged in the dishonorable behavior. This boycott will remain in effect until team discipline is initiated, or until the players in question apologize, or until they're cut from the team.
Starting on Thursday with the Panthers-Broncos game, I'm asking fans of each team to report what their players did.
So far, the Seahawks get a passing grade and the Dolphins get a failing grade. Brandon Marshall of the Broncos took a knee on Thursday night, but I believe the Panthers players all showed respect.
If this phenomenon persists, I'm perfectly willing to give up on the NFL as a whole. If the league can't maintain a semblance of team discipline and respect for the country, then it's time for me to move on to other interests.
I say this as a lifelong Dolphins fan who was born around the time that the team entered the league in 1966. Apparently the only message that will get the NFL's attention is to hit t hem where it counts: in their wallets.
So if there were any other incidents of disrespect by any other NFL teams, please document them on this thread.
If I were the coach, any player who disrespected the National Anthem would sit on the bench the entire game, even if he were an essential player whose absence would make it certain that my team would lose the game.
Punish the whole team for what a few disrespectful people do? What happened to individual responsibility?
This behavior represents a failure in leadership of both the ownership and the head coach, not to mention the other players for not keeping the malcontents in line.
That's why the Seahawks actions showed unity, without disrespecting the anthem, whereas the Dolphins couldn't manage that.
With proper team unity and discipline, there would not have been any disrespect shown by any Dolphins players during the national anthem...
Devin McCourty & Martellus Bennett both with raised fists during national anthem ... Disrespect the anthem on 9/11? They WILL go to hell. Coach will handle them soon I predict. He may be a lot of things, but he won’t stand for that.
Excellent scorecard. Keeping notes. Sorry to hear about a Bronco showing disrespect to the flag, to the anthem and to the country. Sorry to hear about four players on the Dolphins disrespecting the flag and ignoring the anthem.
NFL management will notice a drop in NFL worship and will probably lower ticket prices. Thus, please stay a fan, wear patriotic gear and hope the prices decrease.
MLB has problems with empty stadiums and still increase prices that make it tough for families. I root for MBL teams by listening to the radio.
I see it as a failure of ownership or the NFL. If I own a business and have employees, the employees represent me and my business. They don’t have free speech rights to spout their political views at my customers — well, they can, but if they do, they’re fired. Behavior during the national anthem ought to be part of the NFL’s code of conduct.
I wonder what the NFL would do if some of the players opposed to the abortion-supporting Susan G Komen bunch (Planned Parenthood) refused to wear the stupid PINK garb in October?
Supporting breast cancer research is great, but SGK gives millions of dollars to PP which doesn’t even provide mammograms and uses the money for abortions.
Ravens pass and DID show up for the game.
Here we go Steelers!
Rooneys are questionable, but hey, here we go yunz.
thanks for the info
These 3 teams all stood too from what I heard:
Jacksonville Jaguars
New York Giants
Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys and Giants both PASS. Opening ceremony included Bush 43 (did coin flip and a video) and Laura. Both teams and all fans very respectful.
The connection to not standing for the anthem please?
The NFL’s young men have lower crime rates than the young men not in the NFL.
I know that will make the NFL haters’ heads explode here but it’s true.
Dont ask me for that stats page if youre too lazy to look it up.
NFL has a management problem and it lets terrible behavior go unpunished.
That doesn’t mean the behavior occurs more often than outside of the NFL.
Ice Hockey is resisting the trend. John Tortorella (not my favorite coach, by a long shot) is coaching Team USA in the World Cup. In regular season, he coaches Columbus Blue Jackets.
Tortorella told his players that if they sit during the National Anthem, they’ll sit the whole game. He took a lot of flak from the liberal media, but he stuck to his decision. Let’s see if he follows through during the regular season.
BTW, his son is an Army Ranger in Afghanistan.
“In contrast, the Seattle Seahawks stood as a team and locked arms, and were respectful, so I have no complaint about their behavior.”
In contrast? The whole idea of doing it was to display a dismay with the racial relations in the US. To use the respectful recognition of all the fallen heroes in our history as a political stump is unacceptable. So whether they take a knee, sit down, go to the locker room, raise a fist, or polish their shoes, is just as unrespectful as anyone else. These coddled children are dam lucky to be in a country where they can voice their opinion about something political while they are being paid a tremendous amount of money to play a game and are not downrange in a firefight for their lives.
Alternately that is not the proper way to do it. This is like singing at a funeral. If you’ve got that much of a problem, don’t go to the game. Go talk to your congressman, or senator, or the media. But don’t you dare disrespect some real heroes and their families. That makes you nothing but trash. And I can also add coward to the list?
red
Detroit Lions: Pass
Some of them participated in holding the huge flag during the national anthem. Oh, and they beat the Colts too!
In KC the Chief players linked arms and one raised a fist. The crowd didn’t show any reaction, and since my Chiefs came from 21 points down to win in OT then all is forgiven.
All the Atlanta Falcons along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stood.
The NFL is perfectly fine with this behavior, otherwise there would have been a blanket directive—either you stand or you walk—issued prior to the season opener.
These idiots are NFL employees, and they are irreparably soiling the brand.
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