Former NFL superstar Jim Brown explained outside the White House on Thursday why he disagrees with NFL players kneeling during the national anthem.
His comments came after his meeting with President Donald Trump and rapper Kanye West.
Jim Brown speaks to media outside White House: “I don’t think that we should take knees in protest instead of be standing up for our flag.” pic.twitter.com/sZDTsfyinp
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 11, 2018
“You’re a legendary football player, did you by any chance deal with the issue of taking a knee?” a reporter asked.
“I can be very blunt about taking a knee, see first of all I’m an American, that flag is my flag. Things that I’ve overcome in this country allows to make me a better person,” Brown stated. (RELATED: Kanye West: Black People ‘Kill Each Other More Than Police Officers’)
“I don’t think that we should take knees in protest instead of standing up for our flag,” he continued. “I think we should work out our problems as a family and that’s what I would advocate to my children, to the young people I deal with. I am an American, that flag is my flag and I want to represent it that way.”
US President Donald Trump meets with rapper Kanye West and former football player Jim Brown. (Photo by SAUL LOEB /AFP/Getty Images)
Brown’s comments are in response to a multitude of NFL players that knelt (or still kneel) during the national anthem just prior to games in an attempt to raise awareness of police brutality. The protests sparked outrage for many, creating a contentious debate over if it’s a respectable and effective form of advocacy. The original kneeler, Colin Kaepernick, has not played in the NFL since the 2016 season. (RELATED: Jim Brown: Trump And America Aren’t Racist)
The former legendary running back has been a supporter of the president, having defended him from accusations that he’s racist.
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