By Todd Starnes
Rush Limbaugh made an excellent point about the controversy over San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the Star-Spangled Banner.
The Dallas Cowboys wanted to put a decal on their helmets to honor five Dallas police officers killed by a sniper. But the National Football League denied the request.
“Everyone has to be uniform with the league and the other 31 teams,” a team spokesman told the Dallas News. “We respect their decision.”
But the NFL took a very different approach to Mr. Kaepernick, the second-rate quarterback with a great big unpatriotic chip on his shoulder.
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Here’s what he told NFL Media:
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
The NFL released a statement defending Mr. Kaepernick’s unpatriotic gesture.
“Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the national anthem,” they said in a prepared statement to NFL Media.
So if teams are required to be uniform with the league, why can’t they be uniform in respecting the national anthem?
Now it would be easy to dismiss Mr. Kaepernick as an unpatroitic, spoiled brat whose only discernable skill is to throw a football (and according to the experts — he doesn’t even do that very well.)
But I believe his accusations merit further examination.
For example he says there are bodies in the streets. Where are the bodies? Show us the streets.
He also says people are getting away with murder? Who? Name names!
Folks, this is not about freedom of expression. It’s about spitting on America. It’s about flipping off police officers. It’s about disrespecting the men and women of the Armed Forces who put their lives on the line every day so that a repugnant coward like Colin Kaepernick can throw a football.
It’s too bad the NFL could not muster the courage to renounce Mr. Kaepernick’s repulsive behavior.