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The Crimson

The student news site of Bernards High School

The Crimson

The student news site of Bernards High School

The Crimson

NFL players protest on 9/11

NFL+players+protest+on+9%2F11

Controversy followed after several NFL football players protested during the National Anthem which coincided with commermations for the September 11th terrorist attacks. For those uninformed on the specifics of the incident, NFL player Marcus Peters raised a fist and four players on the Miami Dolphins took a knee to protest racial discrimination and police brutality against African Americans. The first protester, Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback of the San Francisco 49’ers, first took a knee back in August. Several fans yelled down to him and asked “Kaepernick, why don’t you stand up?” Colin Kaepernick later came out to say that he was “not going to stand up to show pride to a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” In addition to his protest, Kaepernick has announced that he will donate his first one million in salary to communities especially affected by police brutality. Ultimately, the pressing question is whether this protesting is appropriate or not.

Yes, the protesting of the National Anthem on 9/11 was appropriate.
As said by Arian Foster, the Dolphins team running back, “They say it’s not the time, but when is the time? It’s never the time in somebody else’s eyes. That’s the great thing about this country, if somebody feels it’s not good enough, they have the right.” The United States of America is based off of fundamental rights of freedom, freedom of speech, freedom to protest, and freedom of religion. In defense of the protest, the players simply have the right to do what they did. The citizens of the country have a right to stand up for what they believe in. As professional athletes, the players also have a great influence on society and receive a lot of attention naturally from being public figures.
-Alyssa Frausto

No, the protesting of the National Anthem on 9/11 was not appropriate.
On 9/11, we were a target of terrorism. We were a target not because of race, ethnicity, gender, etc. We were targeted as Americans. After this tragedy where we lost almost 3,000 American lives immediately, and 6,000 wounded Americans, we united as a nation. The Americans whom we lost included fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters- all innocent loved ones across the entire country. We united the following months to support each other during this devastating lost. In American history, the people who came together to help clean up, take care of the wounded, and help grieving families remember this time as unifying and somber memory. September 11th specifically is a time to remember the fallen. Sitting or kneeling in protest of the national anthem is a disgrace to those who have served and are serving our country. I also find it decently disrespectful and ironic that these men protesting the anthem of a country where they have made millions of dollars while men are away fighting for and defending this country. I support the right to sit, however I vehemently disagree with the protest of the anthem on September 11th.

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