In support of the racial injustice seen in America, NFL players will more than likely kneel during the national anthem when the 2020 season starts. Former Chicago Bears head coach, Mike Ditka has called out players who kneel during the national anthem.
What We Know:
- In an interview with TMZ, Ditka stated, “If you can’t respect our national anthem, get the hell out of the country. That’s the way I feel. Of course, I’m old fashioned, so I’m only going to say what I feel. You don’t protest against the flag, and you don’t protest against this country who’s given you the opportunities to make a living playing a sport that you never thought would happen. So, I don’t want to hear all the crap.”
WATCH : Mike Ditka says to TMZ that athletes who kneel the anthem should “get the hell out of the country” pic.twitter.com/s5mcvqcE9L
— JPA Football (@jpafootball) July 26, 2020
- According to PopCulture, this isn’t the first time Ditka has made his opinions on kneeling during the national anthem known. In 2017, he was interviewed by radio host Jim Gray and said, “If you don’t respect our country, then you shouldn’t be in this country playing football… So I would say, adios. A U.S. Marine commented on Ditka’s remarks saying he’s never had the urge to tell someone to “get the hell out of the country”. That wasn’t the end of the comments others had about him on social media.
Dear Mike Ditka: I’m a US Marine who served this Nation with his life. Yet I’ve NEVER felt it my place to tell anyone to “get the hell out of the country.” Let that sink in.
PS: Athletes kneel to raise awareness for racial injustice. And you’re exactly one of the reasons why. https://t.co/FEibCZsrwE
— MuslimMarine (@mansoortshams) July 26, 2020
Mike Ditka is a joke. The world passed him by a long time ago. But he’s going to show up and vote, which is why you have to show up and vote.
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) July 26, 2020
https://twitter.com/JRehling/status/1287453794695954432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1287453794695954432%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpopculture.com%2Fsports%2Fnews%2Fsocial-media-explodes-mike-ditka-blasts-nfl-players-kneel-national-anthem%2F
- Colin Kaepernick led the national anthem protests back in 2016 when he sat out of the national anthem to protest racial inequality in America. After being seen as disrespectful, he began kneeling and since then, dozens of other athletes have begun kneeling during the national anthem. Last week, WNBA players of the New York Liberty and Seattle Storm walked off the court during the national anthem in support of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was killed by police earlier this year.
- NFL agent David Mulugheta called out Ditka for his comments saying he “traded his helmet in for a white hood as soon as he retired form football”. Mulugheta also added, “Ditka isn’t a racist simply because he believes people should stand for the anthem, it’s because of his many racist beliefs. One example, he claims ‘there has been no oppression in the last 100 years’. To be clear, segregation ended less than 55 years ago. So yeah he’s a racist.”
Ditka is the chairman of the Extreme Football League, a women’s tackle football organization. He was a six-time All-Pro tight end before becoming the Chicago Bears’ head coach. In 1988, he was the first tight end to be induced into the Por Football Hall of Fame.
