Seahawks players Doug Baldwin and Michael Bennett took to national television to defend Seattle’s national anthem protest. Both appeared on CNN Monday after the team joined the Tennessee Titans in skipping the national anthem prior to their game on Sunday.
Baldwin says the NFL players who kneel or refuse to stand during the national anthem are not disrespecting the country or the flag, rather, they are peacefully protesting injustice.
Appearing on AC360 with Anderson Cooper, Bennett said that he didn’t understand why President Donald Trump would “stoop so low” as to say that NFL owners should fire any “son of a b—-” who stages a protest during the National Anthem.
According to the Seattle Times Bennett also hoped to meet with President Trump. “I would love to sit down with the president and talk about these issues and be able to find a way to fix them, or be able to find a way to have the voice of the people, the people that don’t have the voice that they’re not listening to.”
Bennett has been taking a knee in protest against injustice in society during the national anthem since the start of the pre-season. He has said he will continue to do so for the remainder of the season.
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett, center, is joined by
teammates Thomas Rawls, left, and Justin Britt, right, as he sits
during the singing of the national anthem before an NFL football
game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, in
Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
At a rally in Alabama last Friday, President Trump said NFL owners should fire players who protest. The comments spurred on mass demonstrations by NFL players, coaches, staff and owners throughout the league this past weekend
(KPUG – Doug Lange, Information from CNN & the Seattle Times were used in this story)
