Sometimes all it takes is a simple, but sound argument to end a debate. The problem is that the Left never allows for debate to end, but one football legend’s take on the NFL protesting controversy sure smells like a ton of common sense.
Speaking with Yahoo! Sports on Thursday, Pittsburgh Steelers folk hero and Vietnam War veteran Rocky Bleier said he supports teams that don't allow their players to take a knee during the national anthem.
“It’s very simply this: this is a workplace, you are at the stadium, you are working that day, this is not a platform for protest,” Bleier told Yahoo! Sports. “The American people, they can’t go to their workplace and start to protest about whatever may be happening in their life. That wouldn’t be allowed and that shouldn’t be allowed in the NFL.”
Bleier definitely has a point. Even Yahoo! Sports called Bleier one of the “few people involved” that “are as qualified to discuss the subject.”
Bleier served during the Vietnam War and lost part of his foot as a result of a combat injury before returning to the NFL to play with the Steelers.
To Bleier's point, if you are employed, you are paid by your employer to perform the tasks that your employment requires. Protesting is well within your rights as an American, but when you bring that into your place of work, and protesting isn’t what your employer pays you to do, then your actions are a violation of the terms of employment both you and your employer agreed upon.
“It’s not a violation of the First Amendment at all,” Bleier continued. “You have off days, you can do it outside of the stadium or on other platforms, but not the gameday platform. It’s a very simple question and people are making it more complex than it really is.”
As an NFL player, they have so many opportunities, outside of the anthem, to protest should they decide to do so. There are multiple press conferences, talking to media inside the locker room after games and personally on whatever social media platforms they may have.
To choose to exclusively protest during the national anthem is merely selfish and counter-productive to their message.
While the NFL and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) are holding a meeting next week to discuss different topics, primarily the issue of protesting, Bleier said that it’s a little late for such discussion.
“The was a lack of leadership there on the owners’ side as well as the Players Association long before to nip whatever was coming down the road after the Colin Kaepernick situation a year ago, in the bud,” Bleier said. “It should never have gotten to this point, nobody has stepped up to say ‘No, this is not what we do on gameday.’”
Well Mr. Bleier, that’s because true guts left the No Fun League a while ago. Welcome to the new watered down NFL.