Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem quickly had a domino effect around the NFL, with many players still joining in the protest even to this day. The effect has started spilling into college and high school football games as well, and the media has had not been short on praise for schools who adopt the practice.
However, one student isn’t sitting idly by -- quite literally.
Connor Brewer, an offensive lineman for Millikin University, a small private school in Decatur, Ill., stood by himself on the sidelines while the national anthem played before a game. The rest of his team stayed in the locker room during the anthem as a nod to the protest started by Kaepernick.
Although he has declined to be interviewed, the Washington Times has reported that Brewer told the university’s president that “he did what he felt like he needed to do.”
After the anthem was over, Brewer went back into the locker room to join his team.
The team had apparently voted to remain in the locker room after drawing backlash when some players knelt during the anthem at a previous game. The team released this statement about the protests:
Rather than have our message be misunderstood or misconstrued, we are united in our decision to stay in the locker room until kickoff during which time we will engage in a moment of reflection to personally recognize the sacrifice of so many and renew our commitment to living up to those most important words: ‘with liberty and justice for all.’ Please let there be no doubt that we have the utmost respect for the sacrifice made by those who served or do serve in our armed forces, including many of our family and friends. Therefore, it is our desire to do nothing that could be viewed as disrespectful of their sacrifice.
No matter your thoughts on the protests, one cannot deny that Brewer showed great courage for literally standing up for what he believed in, defying his entire team to do so. That alone is worth recognition.
You can see the original news report below:
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