San Francisco Giants Coach Gabe Kapler said on Friday that he would not take the field for the national anthem “until I feel better in the direction of our country”.
Driving the news: Kapler’s decision comes days after an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
What he said: Earlier Friday, Kapler written in a blog post on his website that he was ashamed of not kneeling during the national anthem at a game on Wednesday.
- “My brain told me to get down on one knee, my body didn’t listen.”
- “Every time I place my hand over my heart and take my hat off, I participate in self-congratulatory glorification of the ONLY country where these mass shootings are taking place,” he added.
- Kapler did not say when he would start protesting the national anthem or how long the protest might last.
- The Giants are scheduled to face the Reds in Cincinnati on Friday night. The game, however, was delayed due to rain, the Reds tweeted.
The big picture: Kapler’s decision to protest the anthem comes as other professional sports teams again speak out against gun violence.
- The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Stingrays said on Thursday they would use social media to talk about gun violence instead of game coverage.
- The NBA’s Miami Heat also told fans at a game on Wednesday to contact their state senators and “leave a message demanding their support for common sense gun laws.”