Colin Kaepernick refuses “to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people”...
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Whats being lost in the whole national anthem debate is the fact that the anthem was written by slave owner and the 3rd verse reference of killing slaves. That's still not common knowledge yet. That fact should be as mainstream as the name Kaepernick.
Americans don't give af about that. That's the same thing as saying americans killed the natives and stole their land. They don't give a ? ! its a non starter imo
Yeah, let's not forget that there are people in this country that are mad because others don't think Columbus, a sadistic ? , murderer, and slaver deserves to be honored. If those people see some merit in something, they don't give a ? about anything to the contrary. -
The Lonious Monk wrote: »On a side note, the protests are good for bringing attention to the issue (when they aren't being deflected), but one thing that has always bothered me about all these anti-police brutality protests is that they aren't quite as good at bringing attention to the solutions.
I think at a minimum, anyone taking a stand and attempting to raise awareness about this issue should direct people to this site for answers about what can be done.
https://www.joincampaignzero.org/solutions/#solutionsoverview
The solution is when race soldiers ? black people unjustly. They should be charged and sentenced harshly, no ? slap on the wrist either. Kaepernick was kneeling to protest injustice and racism and white supremacy and race soldiers harming black people and getting away with it. We don't care if these white supremacists are racists or not, we care about justice being served. -
5th Letter wrote: »The Lonious Monk wrote: »On a side note, the protests are good for bringing attention to the issue (when they aren't being deflected), but one thing that has always bothered me about all these anti-police brutality protests is that they aren't quite as good at bringing attention to the solutions.
I think at a minimum, anyone taking a stand and attempting to raise awareness about this issue should direct people to this site for answers about what can be done.
https://www.joincampaignzero.org/solutions/#solutionsoverview
The solution is when race soldiers ? black people unjustly. They should be charged and sentenced harshly, no ? slap on the wrist either. Kaepernick was kneeling to protest injustice and racism and white supremacy and race soldiers harming black people and getting away with it. We don't care if these white supremacists are racists or not, we care about justice being served.
Check out the site. They address that. ? is not as easy as people seem to think. A lot of these cops are charged and sent to trial, and the juries let them off. So you can't just say that the solution is to charge them and sentence them harshly. The site actual explains what could be done to reduce the chances of cops getting off after clearly being in the wrong. -
The Lonious Monk wrote: »5th Letter wrote: »The Lonious Monk wrote: »On a side note, the protests are good for bringing attention to the issue (when they aren't being deflected), but one thing that has always bothered me about all these anti-police brutality protests is that they aren't quite as good at bringing attention to the solutions.
I think at a minimum, anyone taking a stand and attempting to raise awareness about this issue should direct people to this site for answers about what can be done.
https://www.joincampaignzero.org/solutions/#solutionsoverview
The solution is when race soldiers ? black people unjustly. They should be charged and sentenced harshly, no ? slap on the wrist either. Kaepernick was kneeling to protest injustice and racism and white supremacy and race soldiers harming black people and getting away with it. We don't care if these white supremacists are racists or not, we care about justice being served.
Check out the site. They address that. ? is not as easy as people seem to think. A lot of these cops are charged and sent to trial, and the juries let them off. So you can't just say that the solution is to charge them and sentence them harshly. The site actual explains what could be done to reduce the chances of cops getting off after clearly being in the wrong.
If not charging and sentencing them is not a solution then what is? -
The Lonious Monk wrote: »Even if what you say is true. No one has to do anything simply because, they are told. If, a man has a shred of integrity they aren't going to compromise their life's work just to toe the company line. If, Black players are compromising themselves then it makes sense why white folks are acting as they are. whites have every right then to say you've been good lil ? , don't be a hypocrite now.
I think you're being a little too critical. There is nothing wrong them feeling like the are privileged to be able to play in the NFL. They essentially get to make millions of dollars for playing a game they love so much they'd probably play it for free. It doesn't matter that they worked hard to be there and earned their spot, the setup itself is what they see as a privilege because most people in the world are not in anything close to the same position as far as employment goes.
I fail to see how being gracious about their situation means it's ok for their employers to disrespect them. You make a lot of good points on these matters, but sometimes I feel like you go hard just for the sake of going hard.
feeling privileged takes away from your hard work and the sacrifice they make every sunday and monday or thursday. -
The Lonious Monk wrote: »On a side note, the protests are good for bringing attention to the issue (when they aren't being deflected), but one thing that has always bothered me about all these anti-police brutality protests is that they aren't quite as good at bringing attention to the solutions.
I think at a minimum, anyone taking a stand and attempting to raise awareness about this issue should direct people to this site for answers about what can be done.
https://www.joincampaignzero.org/solutions/#solutionsoverview
Solutions to the issues are out there in abundance. Whites are to busy deflecting, and ignoring the issues. There is no way to get to a solution when you have a power structure that doesn't believe there's a problem.
Here are some proposed solutions.
The most obvious is, STOP SHOOTING ? !!
Now to the more subtle which I have read several times throughout the debate. Start paying the shooting victims out of the police pension fund.
Address the Blue code of silence, the corrupt judicial system and actually start sending killer cops to real prison.
Begin drug testing cops regularly and immediately after shootings. I believe many of these cops are on all types of drugs, from alcohol, to roids, to coke.
There's always going to be rouges. But to settle the people and have them genuinely believe something is being done you have start somewhere. Outside of some body cams which they don't legally have turned on. There's been nothing by way of legislation to address the issue.
the bold is a great idea.....
they just gonna let ? run free they do that -
5th Letter wrote: »The Lonious Monk wrote: »5th Letter wrote: »The Lonious Monk wrote: »On a side note, the protests are good for bringing attention to the issue (when they aren't being deflected), but one thing that has always bothered me about all these anti-police brutality protests is that they aren't quite as good at bringing attention to the solutions.
I think at a minimum, anyone taking a stand and attempting to raise awareness about this issue should direct people to this site for answers about what can be done.
https://www.joincampaignzero.org/solutions/#solutionsoverview
The solution is when race soldiers ? black people unjustly. They should be charged and sentenced harshly, no ? slap on the wrist either. Kaepernick was kneeling to protest injustice and racism and white supremacy and race soldiers harming black people and getting away with it. We don't care if these white supremacists are racists or not, we care about justice being served.
Check out the site. They address that. ? is not as easy as people seem to think. A lot of these cops are charged and sent to trial, and the juries let them off. So you can't just say that the solution is to charge them and sentence them harshly. The site actual explains what could be done to reduce the chances of cops getting off after clearly being in the wrong.
If not charging and sentencing them is not a solution then what is?
Like I said, check the site. Charging and sentencing really isn't a solution. It's more like a prerequisite goal that must be met in order to accomplish the greater goal. The site gives multiple examples of actual solutions that can lead to meeting that goal. For example, it proposed the creation of a board that is composed of people drawn from the community that don't have any ties to the police. That board would then have a say in how these cases were handled. It also suggests that these cases be handled by independent or Federal prosecutors to avoid conflict of interest coming into play (e.g. Tamir Rice case where the prosecutor really didn't even want to put the cops on trial because he worked with them).
When I say solution, I'm talking about measures that can be implemented to attack the problem. Saying cops should be charged and sentenced is fine, but that's not really offering any idea on how to accomplish it. There's not button that can be pushed to instantly make it happen.2stepz_ahead wrote: »The Lonious Monk wrote: »Even if what you say is true. No one has to do anything simply because, they are told. If, a man has a shred of integrity they aren't going to compromise their life's work just to toe the company line. If, Black players are compromising themselves then it makes sense why white folks are acting as they are. whites have every right then to say you've been good lil ? , don't be a hypocrite now.
I think you're being a little too critical. There is nothing wrong them feeling like the are privileged to be able to play in the NFL. They essentially get to make millions of dollars for playing a game they love so much they'd probably play it for free. It doesn't matter that they worked hard to be there and earned their spot, the setup itself is what they see as a privilege because most people in the world are not in anything close to the same position as far as employment goes.
I fail to see how being gracious about their situation means it's ok for their employers to disrespect them. You make a lot of good points on these matters, but sometimes I feel like you go hard just for the sake of going hard.
feeling privileged takes away from your hard work and the sacrifice they make every sunday and monday or thursday.
That's not true. You dudes are honestly making too much out of a platitude.
A old guy recently retired from my job. He had a PhD and 25 years in the field before he even joined this company. When he did join he basically created one of the more important divisions here. The first thing he said in his retirement speech was "It's been an honor and a privilege to work at this company for the past 15 years." No one that heard that was sitting there like "oh ? , he feels privileged to be here so the work he put in before he got here and the work he put in while he was here don't mean that much."
You're completely misrepresenting what people mean when they make statements like that. -
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/sessions-nfl-should-have-formal-rule-players-anthemSessions: NFL Should Have ‘Rule’ Requiring Players To Stand For Anthem
Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday said he thinks the NFL should have a “formal rule” requiring players to stand for the national anthem.
“I think people should stand. I think it should be a formal rule of the league,” Sessions said on “Fox and Friends.”
He said the NFL would “have to make that decision.”
“But they should be able to say to the players, ‘If you’re on our field, in our game, paid by us, you should respect the flag and the national anthem,'” Sessions said.
President Donald Trump last week said that any “son of a ? ” who protests during the national anthem should be fired, and spent Monday and Tuesday tweeting attacks against players and teams who take a knee in protest.
On Tuesday, Trump nevertheless insisted that he was not “preoccupied” with the subject.
“Was I preoccupied? Not at all. I have plenty of time on my hands,” he said. “All I do is work.”
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https://theundefeated.com/features/jemele-hill-on-doing-the-right-thing/Jemele Hill on doing the right thing
A lesson from her grandmother: Be better. No matter what. -
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Somebody wrote this as a response to Ray Lewis
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So a chick writing for the NY Times that has regular access to Trump wrote an article confirming that Trump purposely launched his attack against the NFL for the specific reason of dividing the country. He's essentially using the protests as a means to galvanize his base, and it's not some off the cuff thing. It was planned out.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/us/politics/trump-nascar-nfl-protests.html?mcubz=3 -
VulcanRaven wrote: »Many were against Ali. Now they talk about how heroic he was. Whites who hated him now talk as if they love him.
Facts and I remember when he passed and Jim Brown said people started loving him when he lost his ability to speak -
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Angeles1son85 wrote: »
Lol that last tweet is so stupid all you can do is laugh -
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stringer bell wrote: »http://www.tsn.ca/sharks-ward-considers-kneeling-for-anthem-1.867862Sharks' Ward considers kneeling for anthem - Article - TSN
The protests that have taken place in the NFL could also possibly happen in the NHL, as San Jose Sharks forward Joel Ward told The Mercury News he is not ruling out the possibility of taking a knee during the national anthem.
“It’s definitely something I wouldn’t cross out,” Ward told the San Jose-based newspaper when asked about joining the protests. “I’ve experienced a lot of racism myself in hockey and on a day-to-day occurrence. I haven’t really sat down to think about it too much yet, but I definitely wouldn’t say no to it.”
Ward, a Toronto native, told the Mercury News that he dealt with racism in the youth hockey system with both players and people in the stands making racist comments towards him as he played.
“I had no clue what the words meant until my parents educated me about what was going on in my surroundings,” Ward said. “I was just a kid who fell in love with the game and picked up a hockey stick. I didn’t really look at it as color.”
Ward also dealt with the issue after becoming an NHL player when, following a playoff series-winning goal against the Boston Bruins in 2012, he was bombarded on Twitter with both racist comments and death threats from Bruins fans.
The 36-year-old told the Mercury News that he’s been subjected to racial profiling off the ice, in addition to what he’s been subjected to while in uniform.
“I’ve dealt with it a lot,” Ward said. “I’ve had a few things that have happened to me that you could say are not the norm. I’ve been singled out at different events. I’ve been pulled over. I’ve dealt with racism right to my face.”
Ward says that being a Canadian playing in America would not stop him from taking a knee for the anthem because he’s had to endure racist treatment on both sides of the border.
Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer told the Mercury News that he would have his player’s back if he decided to protest during the anthem.
“I went to law school. I’m a big freedom of speech guy,” DeBoer said. “Everyone has the right to message how they want to. That’s what makes our countries great, Canada and the U.S., is the freedom to able to express yourself if you feel like you’ve been wronged or there’s an injustice.”
Ward said he’s also discussed the situation with general manager Doug Wilson and received support.
Well damn, called it -
The Lonious Monk wrote: »5th Letter wrote: »The Lonious Monk wrote: »5th Letter wrote: »The Lonious Monk wrote: »On a side note, the protests are good for bringing attention to the issue (when they aren't being deflected), but one thing that has always bothered me about all these anti-police brutality protests is that they aren't quite as good at bringing attention to the solutions.
I think at a minimum, anyone taking a stand and attempting to raise awareness about this issue should direct people to this site for answers about what can be done.
https://www.joincampaignzero.org/solutions/#solutionsoverview
The solution is when race soldiers ? black people unjustly. They should be charged and sentenced harshly, no ? slap on the wrist either. Kaepernick was kneeling to protest injustice and racism and white supremacy and race soldiers harming black people and getting away with it. We don't care if these white supremacists are racists or not, we care about justice being served.
Check out the site. They address that. ? is not as easy as people seem to think. A lot of these cops are charged and sent to trial, and the juries let them off. So you can't just say that the solution is to charge them and sentence them harshly. The site actual explains what could be done to reduce the chances of cops getting off after clearly being in the wrong.
If not charging and sentencing them is not a solution then what is?
Like I said, check the site. Charging and sentencing really isn't a solution. It's more like a prerequisite goal that must be met in order to accomplish the greater goal. The site gives multiple examples of actual solutions that can lead to meeting that goal. For example, it proposed the creation of a board that is composed of people drawn from the community that don't have any ties to the police. That board would then have a say in how these cases were handled. It also suggests that these cases be handled by independent or Federal prosecutors to avoid conflict of interest coming into play (e.g. Tamir Rice case where the prosecutor really didn't even want to put the cops on trial because he worked with them).
When I say solution, I'm talking about measures that can be implemented to attack the problem. Saying cops should be charged and sentenced is fine, but that's not really offering any idea on how to accomplish it. There's not button that can be pushed to instantly make it happen.2stepz_ahead wrote: »The Lonious Monk wrote: »Even if what you say is true. No one has to do anything simply because, they are told. If, a man has a shred of integrity they aren't going to compromise their life's work just to toe the company line. If, Black players are compromising themselves then it makes sense why white folks are acting as they are. whites have every right then to say you've been good lil ? , don't be a hypocrite now.
I think you're being a little too critical. There is nothing wrong them feeling like the are privileged to be able to play in the NFL. They essentially get to make millions of dollars for playing a game they love so much they'd probably play it for free. It doesn't matter that they worked hard to be there and earned their spot, the setup itself is what they see as a privilege because most people in the world are not in anything close to the same position as far as employment goes.
I fail to see how being gracious about their situation means it's ok for their employers to disrespect them. You make a lot of good points on these matters, but sometimes I feel like you go hard just for the sake of going hard.
feeling privileged takes away from your hard work and the sacrifice they make every sunday and monday or thursday.
That's not true. You dudes are honestly making too much out of a platitude.
A old guy recently retired from my job. He had a PhD and 25 years in the field before he even joined this company. When he did join he basically created one of the more important divisions here. The first thing he said in his retirement speech was "It's been an honor and a privilege to work at this company for the past 15 years." No one that heard that was sitting there like "oh ? , he feels privileged to be here so the work he put in before he got here and the work he put in while he was here don't mean that much."
You're completely misrepresenting what people mean when they make statements like that.
So saying that we want justice whenever these race soldiers do wrong isn't a solution? All you did was come up with an idea in terms of how you'd want to reach the objective. -
5th Letter wrote: »
So saying that we want justice whenever these race soldiers do wrong isn't a solution? All you did was come up with an idea in terms of how you'd want to reach the objective.
I don't know if you're doing it to be difficult or what.
I'm confused. What is difficult about this? If it's something you want, it's not a solution, it's an objective or a desire. The solution would be the means of achieving that objective or desire.
If the problem is police violence against blacks, ending police violence against blacks isn't the solution. Again, that would be the objective. The legislation you put into place to reduce the amount of deaths at the hands of killer cops would be the solution. -
The Lonious Monk wrote: »5th Letter wrote: »
So saying that we want justice whenever these race soldiers do wrong isn't a solution? All you did was come up with an idea in terms of how you'd want to reach the objective.
I don't know if you're doing it to be difficult or what.
I'm confused. What is difficult about this? If it's something you want, it's not a solution, it's an objective or a desire. The solution would be the means of achieving that objective or desire.
If the problem is police violence against blacks, ending police violence against blacks isn't the solution. Again, that would be the objective. The legislation you put into place to reduce the amount of deaths at the hands of killer cops would be the solution.
The solution is what? What's the ultimate objective? Isn't it to lock up race soldiers? So what is so hard about that to understand I'm saying we as black people want justice and all we want is for these race soldiers to get locked up and no ? slap on the wrist.
Race soldier violence against black people isn't going away, we just want justice when they harm us. That's the end game. -
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/09/billy_nungesser_nfl_protests.htmlLt. Gov. Billy Nungesser boycotts Saints over national anthem protests
Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser will be in London Sunday (Oct. 1) when the New Orleans Saints take on the Miami Dolphins, but he won't be going to the game after Saints players protested during the national anthem last week.
In fact, Nungesser said he won't be going to any Saints or National Football League events for the foreseeable future. That's particularly significant since the Republican is the state's elected official in charge of tourism and attracting national sporting events, like Superbowls and NBA All-Star games, to Louisiana.
"I will not go to the game because I am disappointed in the NFL," Nungesser said in an phone interview Tuesday (Sept. 26). "I don't want to get into the battle of the statement they are making or why they are kneeling. I think it is disgraceful that anybody would use that as a time to protest."
The Saints organization did not want to comment on Nungesser's protest when contacted Tuesday.
Nungesser said he is Germany and the United Kingdom all this week talking to airlines and promoting travel from Europe to New Orleans. The trip was initially timed so he could attend the Saints game in London on Sunday. He said attending the game was initially part of his efforts to promote Louisiana overseas.
Ten Saints were among more than 200 players from the National Football League who refused to stand for the national anthem during games Sunday and Monday. Four other Saints also stood in solidarity near the 10 players who sat out the national anthem, though they didn't sit down themselves.
New Orleans Pelicans players are also discussing whether they will sit during the national anthem when the NBA season starts up next month.
These types of demonstrations initially started in 2016 with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who refused to stand for the national anthem in order to draw attention to police brutality against black people and other minorities.
"They are using this great opportunity they have to disgrace America," Nungesser said. "They say they are protesting police brutality. There are only a handful of police that have been convicted of doing something wrong."
Kaepernick got some support from players last year, though nothing like the demonstrations seen over the weekend. The protests intensified this past weekend because of comments President Donald Trump made at an Alabama campaign rally Friday night and on Twitter since then.
Trump called on NFL team owners to fire players who refused to stand during the national anthem. The president referred to any player who protests as a "son of a b----" on national television Friday.
Several NFL players, including those on the Saints, have said the protests are not reflective of how they feel about the military. They aren't meant to be disrespectful to veterans, but instead draw awareness to challenges facing minorities. The majority of NFL players are African American.
"Obviously, everybody knows about the president's comments and I'm just trying to support, really, the movement that (Kaepernick) started," Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro said after Sunday's game. "I've always felt like we needed to do something and I didn't want to disrespect anyone."
In his interview, Nungesser wouldn't say whether he agreed or disagreed with Trump's sentiment that football players should be fired if they don't stand during the national anthem. The lieutenant governor didn't seem to want to be associated with Trump's use of profanity. "He probably didn't say it in the right way," Nungesser said of the president's comments.
Nungesser emphasized that many people are as upset with the Saints and NFL as he is. He has gotten a number of calls asking for Saints players to be banned from events, including Mardi Gras parades, he said.
The lieutenant governor also didn't say whether he would support pulling state funding, tax incentives and other support from the Saints and Pelicans professional sports teams. Two lawmakers have asked that the Legislature review the state's contract with the organizations, owned by Tom Benson, because they are unhappy with the protests.
About $165 million of the Saints' $1.5 billion value can be attributed to public funding, tax breaks and incentives given to Benson each year, according to an analysis The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com conducted in 2016. Benson, Louisiana's richest resident, owes a good portion of his estimated $2.2 billion fortune to his ownership of the Saints and Pelicans, which are both supported with taxpayer money.
Initially during the interview, Nungesser said it was "worth discussing" whether Louisiana should offer so much support to the Saints given the recent protests. Later, he said he didn't have an opinion on whether the contracts should be reviewed by legislators. "That's not my job to review those agreements," he said.
The argument for the state being so generous with the Saints and Pelicans is that the teams attract so many visitors to Louisiana, particularly New Orleans. The teams also make the Superdome and Smoothie King Center attractive venues for large events such as the Super Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Essence Festival, according to defenders of the agreement.
Only a handful of other NFL teams enjoy cost-free leases in stadiums that were entirely built with public money. Such deals are also rare in the NBA. Even in the world of professional sports where states and cities throw money at teams to get them to stay, Benson's Saints and Pelicans deals remain outliers.
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5th Letter wrote: »The Lonious Monk wrote: »5th Letter wrote: »
So saying that we want justice whenever these race soldiers do wrong isn't a solution? All you did was come up with an idea in terms of how you'd want to reach the objective.
I don't know if you're doing it to be difficult or what.
I'm confused. What is difficult about this? If it's something you want, it's not a solution, it's an objective or a desire. The solution would be the means of achieving that objective or desire.
If the problem is police violence against blacks, ending police violence against blacks isn't the solution. Again, that would be the objective. The legislation you put into place to reduce the amount of deaths at the hands of killer cops would be the solution.
The solution is what? What's the ultimate objective? Isn't it to lock up race soldiers? So what is so hard about that to understand I'm saying we as black people want justice and all we want is for these race soldiers to get locked up and no ? slap on the wrist.
Race soldier violence against black people isn't going away, we just want justice when they harm us. That's the end game.
If you were the leader of a local protest group, and a local government official came up to you and said "Hey, I believe in what you guys are fighting for, but honestly, I don't know how to accomplish your goals. Do you have any suggestions for solutions to the problems?"
Would your answer really be "Yes, lock up the race soldiers." If so and if others really think like you, then I see why none of these protests are really accomplishing anything. -
Actually I'd tell that person that we need to form super pac's, we need lawyers, judges, police etc in our back pockets, we need to buy out these people in order to get things done in our favor. But if we are talking about the problem of why people are protesting the solution to stopping these protests is by justice being served and punishing race soldiers. But if people think like you we'd be on some hug your enemy kumbaya ? .The Lonious Monk wrote: »5th Letter wrote: »The Lonious Monk wrote: »5th Letter wrote: »
So saying that we want justice whenever these race soldiers do wrong isn't a solution? All you did was come up with an idea in terms of how you'd want to reach the objective.
I don't know if you're doing it to be difficult or what.
I'm confused. What is difficult about this? If it's something you want, it's not a solution, it's an objective or a desire. The solution would be the means of achieving that objective or desire.
If the problem is police violence against blacks, ending police violence against blacks isn't the solution. Again, that would be the objective. The legislation you put into place to reduce the amount of deaths at the hands of killer cops would be the solution.
The solution is what? What's the ultimate objective? Isn't it to lock up race soldiers? So what is so hard about that to understand I'm saying we as black people want justice and all we want is for these race soldiers to get locked up and no ? slap on the wrist.
Race soldier violence against black people isn't going away, we just want justice when they harm us. That's the end game.
If you were the leader of a local protest group, and a local government official came up to you and said "Hey, I believe in what you guys are fighting for, but honestly, I don't know how to accomplish your goals. Do you have any suggestions for solutions to the problems?"
Would your answer really be "Yes, lock up the race soldiers." If so and if others really think like you, then I see why none of these protests are really accomplishing anything.
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stringer bell wrote: »http://www.tsn.ca/sharks-ward-considers-kneeling-for-anthem-1.867862Sharks' Ward considers kneeling for anthem - Article - TSN
The protests that have taken place in the NFL could also possibly happen in the NHL, as San Jose Sharks forward Joel Ward told The Mercury News he is not ruling out the possibility of taking a knee during the national anthem.
“It’s definitely something I wouldn’t cross out,” Ward told the San Jose-based newspaper when asked about joining the protests. “I’ve experienced a lot of racism myself in hockey and on a day-to-day occurrence. I haven’t really sat down to think about it too much yet, but I definitely wouldn’t say no to it.”
Ward, a Toronto native, told the Mercury News that he dealt with racism in the youth hockey system with both players and people in the stands making racist comments towards him as he played.
“I had no clue what the words meant until my parents educated me about what was going on in my surroundings,” Ward said. “I was just a kid who fell in love with the game and picked up a hockey stick. I didn’t really look at it as color.”
Ward also dealt with the issue after becoming an NHL player when, following a playoff series-winning goal against the Boston Bruins in 2012, he was bombarded on Twitter with both racist comments and death threats from Bruins fans.
The 36-year-old told the Mercury News that he’s been subjected to racial profiling off the ice, in addition to what he’s been subjected to while in uniform.
“I’ve dealt with it a lot,” Ward said. “I’ve had a few things that have happened to me that you could say are not the norm. I’ve been singled out at different events. I’ve been pulled over. I’ve dealt with racism right to my face.”
Ward says that being a Canadian playing in America would not stop him from taking a knee for the anthem because he’s had to endure racist treatment on both sides of the border.
Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer told the Mercury News that he would have his player’s back if he decided to protest during the anthem.
“I went to law school. I’m a big freedom of speech guy,” DeBoer said. “Everyone has the right to message how they want to. That’s what makes our countries great, Canada and the U.S., is the freedom to able to express yourself if you feel like you’ve been wronged or there’s an injustice.”
Ward said he’s also discussed the situation with general manager Doug Wilson and received support.
I hope he decides to do it at a Boston game
https://youtu.be/9vDyMy_OZBw
