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Five New Mexico football players took a knee during the national anthem this past weekend. According to the team's head coach, Bob Davie, this took him by surprise.
This will undoubtedly result in more people getting angry. While some have been trying to explain the protest for what it is — and, it is worth noting, they are NOT protesting the anthem or the flag — others are claiming that football is meant as an escape. That they, the mob angry over the protests, are tired by the protests and offended that players are doing it.
Now, quickly, imagine how tired and offended ACTUAL people are that no one will listen to their issues, but instead have folk hijacking the protests as everything they aren't actually meant to be about.
“I’d like to have the opportunity to visit with our players, talk about what our stance would be, unified as a football team,” Davie said. “I kind of got shocked by that.
“I wouldn’t want to judge or have too much of a critique, at least speaking from my standpoint, as far as a total football team. Because in fairness to them, I never really talked to them about it.”
The anthem played during halftime, and Bob Davie claimed that he and the opposing head coach — New Mexico played Air Force, mind you — agreed no anthem would be played at all. Not that football coaches should be the ones determining the right and/or wrong about this entire ordeal.
“But I do wish we could have talked about that as a team.”
No Air Force player was seen kneeling.
Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said he did not object to the UNM players’ actions.
“That’s their right,” he said. “They live in a country where they’re allowed to do that.”
Say it louder so the people in the back can hear you.