Former CIA Director Michael Hayden said that he stood with former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players in the dispute over protests during the national anthem. A viral quote about recent protests staged by NFL players was correctly attributed to Hayden.
Hayden, a retired four-star general, who also led the National Security Agency, argued in The Hill that President Donald Trump had turned a protest “within the tolerances of normal American political discourse” into a painful national incident for short-term political gain.
While many on social media were skeptical about a meme featuring a photograph of Hayden next to an alleged quote about the recent NFL protests over social injustice, the meme is true.
“As a 39-year military veteran, I think I know something about the flag, the anthem, patriotism, and I think I know why we fight. It’s not to allow the president to divide us by wrapping himself in the national banner. I never imagined myself saying this before Friday, but if now forced to choose in this dispute, put me down with Kaepernick,” he concluded.
Trump sparked a national controversy when, at a rally for Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.), he called for a boycott of the NFL if team owners did not punish players who kneeled or otherwise refused to stand during the national anthem. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, he’s fired?’” he said.
Of course, this is only a small selection of the column. The article can be read in its entirety here.
What did you think of Hayden’s comments about NFL players protesting during the National Anthem? Do you disagree with the players doing so? Let us know in the comments section.
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