When the regular season kicks off (and hopefully it does), the Washington football team’s head coach will represent the national anthem. But Ron Rivera won’t question the players’ decision to use the anthem as a platform for protest.
“Well the truth is again, let’s get back to our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, the amendment,” Rivera recently told TheAthletic.com. “Let’s go back to the oath of office to serve and protect. Part of the Constitution is the First Amendment. There are a lot of people who vehemently support the Second Amendment. Well, if you are vehemently supporting the Second Amendment, why don’t you support the first one, which is free speech, free speech? And that’s all it is. It is an extension of one of our inalienable rights, one of our rights that God has given us, one of the things enshrined in the Constitution. So, again, let’s at least applaud that. Let’s celebrate that too. “
Rivera said he would stand up because his father served in the military, his brother was a first responder, and his wife’s family have a history of military service.
“My father had brothers who served in World War II,” added Rivera. “So for me, staying at attention is what I’m going to do. This is how I will honor them. I might kneel during the toss because I support Black Lives Matter. I support the movement to help correct policing. But at the same time, I think everyone needs to celebrate what the Constitution of the United States allows us to do as Americans. This is the thing everyone should understand. We have to get over all these other things and stop making a political fight out of it. There is nothing political in the Constitution. It’s clearly defined by the Supreme Court on this, follow it, and then we’re supposed to defend it.
As the pandemic continues to consume much of football’s attention, questions regarding the anthem will come to the fore if / when matches are played. Given the uncertainty created by COVID-19, the criticism and controversy over which players don’t show up for the anthem should be seen as the proverbial right problem to have, as it will mean games are being played.
