Ahead of the NFL’s Monday Night Football kickoff, legendary coach Mike Ditka weighed in on the national anthem protest that has come to dominate so much of the coverage of the league. To put it mildly, the former Bears coach is not a fan of what he and many Americans perceive as a display of disrespect for the U.S. by wealthy, privileged NFL players.
Speaking with NBC’s Jim Gray, Ditka explained why he thinks millionaire football stars of all races and creeds have no reasons to protest the flag:
“There has been no oppression in the last 100 years that I know of,” he said. “Now maybe I’m not watching it as carefully as other people. I think the opportunity is there for everybody — race, religion, creed, color, nationality. If you want to work, if you want to try, if you want to put effort in, you can accomplish anything.”
Predictably, suggesting there’s been “no oppression in the last 100 years” has been met with fury, many pointing to racial segregation as a glaring example.
Ditka went on to suggest that protest is fine, but shouldn’t be done before or during an NFL game, especially since football has served these players well.
“I’m not condemning anybody or criticizing anybody. Respect the game. Play the game,” he stated. “When you want to protest, protest when the game is over. Football has been so good to these guys. Enjoy it. Have fun with it.”
“I don’t think it’s the stage for protests, I’m sorry,” added the coach.
If Ditka was still coaching in the NFL, he made clear that he would not tolerate the disrespect of our anthem from his players.
Yes, I don’t care who you are, how much money you make. If you don’t respect our country, then you shouldn’t be in this country playing football. Go to another country and play football. If you had to go somewhere else and try to play the sport, you wouldn’t have a job.
If you don’t respect this flag and this country, then you don’t know what this is all about. I would say, adios.