Grand View coaches react to national anthem protests
On August 28th of this year Colin Kaepernick released a statement in a press conference that explained why he refuses to stand for the national anthem. “I’m going to stand with the people that are being oppressed. To me, this is something that has to change. When there’s a significant change and I feel that the flag represents what it’s supposed to represent, I’ll stand.”
Since then, the protest has grown significantly. Professional athletes, college athletes, and even high school athletes have begun showing their support for Kaepernick by protesting the national anthem. So we wondered, will this protest make its way to Grand View? We talked to several Grand View coaches to discuss this topic.
Mike Woodley-Grand View Head Football Coach:
GVU Head Football Coach Mike Woodley (Courtesy of Doug Wells)
Thoughts on protest?
“We have to look at it with a lot of understanding because of our country and the way we are in our country, with our rights, he has the right to do whatever he wants to do.”
“The flag to me represents all of our armed forces, they fought for that flag.”
“I do not like our athletes using that as the platform to gain this attention, I think there are other ways we can do it.”
“I think what’s going on in the country right now is relevant for everybody, where we’re having people shot by people that we trust, the police officers. It disturbs me.”
How would you react to one of your players protesting the national anthem?
“I haven’t addressed this yet with our team, but if they were going to do it, I would ask them to come to me first.”
How do you think the media should handle this protest going forward?
“Let’s hope it helps, that’s one thing we got going for us, social media right now is out of this world.”
“Let’s hope the media doesn’t blow it out of proportion and crucify Colin Kapernick, I mean he’s doing something he feels very strongly about it or he wouldn’t be doing it.”
Nick Mitchell-Grand View Wrestling Head Coach:
What are your thoughts on the various athletes protesting the national anthem?
“I think they (the athletes) definitely have the right to protest.”
“If there is a glaring issue in our country and somebody can draw attention to it then, they should have the right to do that. But, if anyone were to us that kind of method to draw attention to their protest then, I would want that athlete to figure out what are they doing besides that to help solve the issue at hand.”
What would you do if one of your players protested during the national anthem?
“I think I would want to talk to them about it and find out why that individual feels that is the best route to take to help draw attention to the issue and try to understand their point of view the best I could.”
“That is how I would handle any issue with our team by figuring out what their motivation is behind it and if that individual or individuals can convince me that’s the best way to draw attention to the issue at hand then, I’d support them as long as it’s not distracting to the team.”
How do you think other coaches, franchises, leagues or social media should handle this protest moving forward?
“I think the biggest thing is to stop with the knee jerk reactions.”
“It is so easy for someone to look at this protest and say “yep that’s right way” or “that’s the wrong thing to do” because they are only looking from their own perspective. The best advice I could give is to take the time to put yourself into that individual’s situation and try to understand why that individual feels so strongly about protesting, whether they are against it or not.”
Blair Reid-Grand View Men’s Soccer Head Coach:
What are your thoughts on the various athletes protesting the national anthem?
“I think everybody in this country have the right to say, protest or do what they feel they need to do without being persecuted, put in jail or in a sense spat on for what they believe is right.”
“I think we are very fortunate to have that right in the United States to do that and have that opportunity to protest as an option. Especially, when you take into account of the various other countries could either have you thrown in jail or even executed for that kind of behavior.”
What would you do if one of your players protested during the national anthem?
“Again I think it is there right to do that. If an individual or individuals on my team wanted to do the same thing during the national anthem I would like them to share that with me upfront and share that with the team as well. On top that, I would like them to take the other team members into consideration and I believe our guys would allow that kind of protest to happen if those individuals wanted to do that. But, if any of the other players felt offended in any way by this protest then, I would want a group discussion and find some kind of common ground within the group.”
How do you think other coaches, franchises, leagues or social media should handle this protest moving forward?
“Well, I can’t speak for anyone else but myself or any other league. But, if I was in charge of any kind of professional league I think I would leave it up to each franchise or team to find out what is comfortable or what works for them when it comes to dealing with this situation. At the same time, I would be supportive that individuals right to protest or not but also, I would be supportive of franchises right to allow or not allow that kind of demonstration and harsh out that subject matter in house.”
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