Baker Mayfield Will Kneel During the National Anthem This Season
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has confirmed that he plans to kneel during the national anthem at football games this upcoming season. In the comments under a recent workout video on Instagram (in which the QB wears a shirt that says "I can't breathe"), a supposed fan of the team asked Mayfield to say he would not be kneeling in protest, to which Mayfield responded: "Pull your head out. I absolutely am."
Comments on the post then blew up, with many followers praising Mayfield's decision to show solidarity with the protests against police brutality and racial inequality taking place all over the country, and others accusing him of disrespecting the flag and the troops. Mayfield clarified his position in a statement on his Instagram Story, saying:
Everybody so upset about my comment doesn't understand the reasoning behind kneeling in the first place... Nate and Kap came to an agreement that kneeling was the most respectful way to support our military while also standing up for equality.
I have the utmost respect for our military, cops, and people that serve OUR country. It's about equality and everybody being treated the same because we are all human. It's been ignored for too long and that is my fault as well for not becoming more educated and staying silent.
If I lose fans, that's okay. I've always spoken from my mind. And that's from the heart.
Work. @cjmcfarland17 @matt__mayfield Video by @petelaflame
A post shared by Baker Mayfield (@bakermayfield) on Jun 13, 2020 at 12:32pm PDT
The note refers to quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose peaceful protests during his 2016 season with the San Francisco 49ers brought his professional football career to a premature end, with no teams willing to sign him as long as he continued to be the focus of such ire from a certain contingent of sports fans.
Mayfield isn't the only player who is now taking a cue from Kap in the light of current events and being more vocal in their support of protestors. When J.J. Watt, the Houston Texans defensive end, received a similar comment from a fan who hoped he would not kneel, he responded by saying: "don't speak for me," and " "if you still think it's about disrespecting the flag or our military, you clearly haven't been listening."
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