Steelers Coach Lashes Out at Army Vet Who Stood for National Anthem – But America Responds Powerfully

The Daily Mail has a great article about the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin being furious at one of his players — lineman Alejandro Villanueva, who happens to be an Army veteran —  after he stood on the sidelines for the National Anthem.  The rest of the team didn’t, as a protest. Tomlin said, “I was looking for 100 per cent participation, we were gonna be respectful of our football team.”  Well, I guess that didn’t happen, did it?

Left tackle Villanueva, who served three tours in Afghanistan as an Army Ranger, stood at the edge of the end zone at Chicago’s Soldier Field with his hand over his heart as the Star Spangled Banner was performed.

His teammates, who were surprised by Villanueva’s actions, remained either in the locker room or stood near the tunnel out of sight of the crowd.

Well, that’s lame.  I am so glad that at least one player had the guts to stand up for what’s right.  I’m so glad the decision wasn’t 100%.  More from the Daily Mail:

Tomlin noted the decision wasn’t unanimous, but the intent was to have his team focus on the game and not President Donald Trump’s comments about players who chose to protest during the anthem.

‘We’re not going to play politics,’ Tomlin said. ‘We’re football players, we’re football coaches. We’re not participating in the anthem today – not to be disrespectful to the anthem, but to remove ourselves from the circumstance.’

He added: ‘People shouldn’t have to choose. If a guy wants to go about his normal business and participate in the anthem, he shouldn’t be forced to choose sides.

‘If a guy feels the need to do something, he shouldn’t be separated from his teammate who chooses not to. But when we come out of locker rooms, we come out of locker rooms to play football games.’

But here’s the thing.  America LOVES this patriotic linebacker for standing up for his values. After his stance, Villanueva’s jerseys was the #1 top seller on NFLshop.com.  That’s voting with your pocketbook, and America is behind Villanueva!

Hat Tip: The Daily Mail

Image Credit: Jeffrey Beall on Flickr