Respect and Realization of National Anthem Dilema

On August 26, 2016, San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick sparked a national debate when asked about his decision to sit during the National Anthem. Since then, the story lines in the NFL world have careened back and forth. Anger at the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of the police who are charged with protecting them. Celebration of the ideals of freedom and opportunity that are the foundation upon which the country has been built. New York Giants’ running back Rashad Jennings offered an insightful view into this charged debate.

Unfortunately, some in the media have chosen to cherry pick Jennings full statement about the flag and National Anthem protests to help highlight one story line or another. The public is now accustomed to the soundbite that will sell, but we lose original message in this process.

Rashad Jennings Statement on the National Anthem Issue

I am nowhere near eloquent or qualified enough to speak on this subject. Instead, let’s take a look at Jennings own words. Yesterday, September 21, 2016 on his Facebook page, he posted:

"“Recognizing my privilege to play in New York and understanding the sensitivity and significance of this topic, I want to share a little bit of my personal thoughts to avoid the media’s misinterpretation of my previous statement.”"

It was accompanied by a picture containing his full statement:

“A man is only as respectable as his willingness to hold to and/or act upon his convictions. I have strong convictions for why I have and will continue to stand for the American flag and the National Anthem.”

“Nevertheless, I completely respect Kaep’s earnest efforts to hold to his convictions in order to bring needed attention to the injustices that obviously continue to exist in America.”

“To me this country’s ideal of being “the land of free and the home of the brave” is still alive and bears great hope for better times. Yet, we can’t merely let that ideal remain only an ideal. We must continue to strive together to grow and change where necessary in order to make it a reality for every American.

“It takes privileged people to make a difference for the under-privileged and oppressed.”

‘”God has told you what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your god?” – Micah 6:8″

The Reason Behind the Protest

There is no question that the injustices that Kaepernick is protesting exist. Hardly a week goes by where there is not a story of a tragic killing that could have been avoided.

This week, retired NFL coach Herm Edwards highlighted the issue on ESPN’s Mike & Mike, “Lady Justice, she wears a blindfold and holds a scale. A scale of justice. And at times, people of color feel the scale is not balanced.” We understand what he means each time we turn on the TV or look on the internet and see the latest tragedy.

Coach Edwards goes onto ask, “when did, in our country, a person’s life not matter?” He echos most of our thoughts at the disturbing nature of these events. Clearly, something needs to change.

Opening a Dialog

With frustrations bubbling to the surface, the Giants’ locker room has also voiced concerns over these injustices. Injustice is a demon loathed at MetLife Stadium being so close to the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Perhaps partly because of this, the Giants have become an open organization. They encourage their members to voice concerns, fears and frustrations so that they may be addressed.

According to Bob Glauber of Newsday, head coach Ben McAdoo is doing his utmost to understand the issues. He empathizes with  players who are conflicted over the circumstances that prompt others to protest. McAdoo shows even further character by stated although he empathizes, he honestly stated that he cannot truly know what it is to be a person of color in America.

But a call to action is needed, not more blaming and accusations. Jennings would seem to agree, as he states,

"“Privileged people need to defend and actually voice out, not the oppressed. That’s just complaining. The people who are privileged need to voice it themselves and say: ‘This isn’t right.’ That’s what Kaep’s doing, that’s what a lot of people are doing. That’s what my whole conversation with Kaep was about, understanding where he’s coming from. And I support that 100 percent”"

Outrageous Reaction to the Protest

By and large, the message has been received. There is evidence of injustice. But, the method of delivering this message has an additional, though unintended, consequence. For some, it is an annoying disturbance of their recreation time. For most angered by his refusal to stand , it is an ideological assault.

The flag and National Anthem represent the ideals of the country. They represent the best part of our culture and offer hope for a better future – Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

By not showing respect to these symbols,  Kaepernick is protesting these core beliefs – whether that is the intent or not.

These Views are Not Mutually Exclusive

Recently, Edwards talked about the discourse of this issue. “We need to have conversations. We need to listen, actually listen to each other. These conversation are not going to be nice. We won’t like what we hear. It will be uncomfortable. But, we need to actually listen to each other and have meaningful conversations.”

That seems to be the crux of the strife we see in the media and society today. No one is listening to the other side; this needs to be recognized, acknowledged and then acted upon.

As Jennings points out in an article by James Kratch of NJ.com,

"“What I think is really important is, people don’t get so focused and fixated on making gestures during the national anthem to the point where you men and women are writing stories, and missing the whole reason behind it,” Jennings said. “It’s become more thinking it’s a lack of respect for military, which everybody has the utmost respect for.”"

No where does Jennings hint at any disrespect directed towards our military or any of the core beliefs: Life, Liberty or the Pursuit of Happiness. In fact, Kaep’s point is that a portion of Americans are being denied these basic rights.

The Double Standard

For the most part, football players are our heroes. They have earned their right to play the sport we love for a living. Giving up their free time to train and learn nuances that we will never know.

In the social arena, expectations are about that they give back to the community. They are, as Jennings identified, “privileged” individuals having the resources, both monetarily and stage, to effect real change.

We praise them for their volunteering efforts with the United Way, Play 60, Make-a-Wish Foundation and other charities. More impressive are players like Eli Manning who led a five-year effort to raise $2.5 million to open a children’s hospital.

But, it seems that we only accept actions adhere to certain guidelines.

That seems to be counter-intuitive to the very precepts that the Flag and National Anthem represent. Witness the heckling experienced by Tim Tebow’s TD celebrations. Can the same be said for Kaepernick’s protests?

Why is it acceptable for a player combat social problems that are real and serious in one way but not another? Kapernick and Jennings are raising awareness of here; yet using their platform as NFL players, in front of the massive audience that Game Day affords, them is somehow ‘over the line’.

A Giant Decision

With police shootings this past week in Oklahoma and North Carolina, further evidence supports the severity of these issues. The New York Giants have talked about what action they can take as “privileged people.”

Josh Alper of NBC Sports reports LB Keenan Robinson indicating a desire in the Giants’ locker room to do something that will ensure the message is properly received.

"“A couple of the guys on the team have talked about it,” Robinson said. “[Players] want to do it appropriately and effectively if we do it. We don’t want to do it in a dishonorable manner or a disrespectful way. [Players] want to make sure our point gets across if we do do it. That’s what a couple of guys have talked about. We don’t want to do it just to be doing it. If we’re going to do it, people need to know why we’re doing it and that needs to not be taken lightly.”"

Where do we go from here?

Jennings stated that he will, due to his convictions, be standing for the flag and National Anthem. But, he does urge all of us to take the protests as a call to action, not an annoyance. His view is simple: as men of conviction, it is our duty to stand-up for that which we believe.

Colin Kaepernick has done that by sitting and taking a knee.

By and large, the discussion has begun, and it has become something we address. Perhaps, we would be wise though, to look to our heroes, the New York Giants as role-models. By their example, we can and must act purposefully and do not have to sacrifice our beliefs or convictions in doing so. We must realize that in the end, we all want the same thing – Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness for all Americans.