Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann said he will stand for the national anthem while also supporting Black Lives Matter, with the Super Bowl champion saying “we have to respect each other’s position.”
“We all want social justice,” Theismann, 70, told Fox Business anchor Neil Cavuto. “One of the things that’s bothered me a little bit is I haven’t heard of any changes that have gone forward. I think we really need to enlighten people more and say ‘OK, we’re talking about social justice, but we just don’t just need activism, we need action.’ We need to see something happening going forward so that people can feel good about what is going on.”
“I will stand for the national anthem. I don’t disrespect anyone,” the former Notre Dame quarterback, who played pro football in Washington, D.C., later added. “I have no ill feelings toward anybody. I support Black Lives Matter but the fact of the matter is I think we have to respect each other’s position and I still believe that it honors the military. I still believe that standing for that flag and for those that have the sacrifices before us should be honored in that way.”
“Everybody has their own decisions to make. I think we have to respect the individuality of each player, of each person to do the things that they want to do in that regard when it comes to respect,” Theismann concluded.
In June, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees said he would “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our flag,” which led to backlash from other players, particularly teammate Michael Jenkins.
Brees, 41, later apologized on social media.
“I recognize that I should do less talking and more listening…and when the black community is talking about their pain, we all need to listen. For that, I am very sorry and I ask your forgiveness,” Brees wrote.
President Trump said at the time that Brees should not have apologized. Trump has frequently railed against athletes who kneel during the national anthem as a silent protest against police brutality and systemic racism.
The gesture was taken by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016, and Trump has said the National Football League should fire players who join the protest.