Country music artists Trace Adkins and Jerrod Niemann just spoke out to discuss their opinions on various hot-button issues, such as NFL national anthem kneelers and the way American military veterans are treated in the U.S. (RELATED: Meghan McCain Defies Liberal Cohosts Of ‘The View’ To Slam NFL Anthem Kneelers).
Both singers performed at the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C., and Adkins said he wouldn’t miss an event like that one for anything.
“My grandaddy was in the Army way back when,” said Adkins, according to The Daily Caller. “When we should memorialize the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, should we just do that on one day? I think we should do that everyday.” (RELATED: Chris Pratt and John Krasinski Challenge Us To Honor This Fallen Marine).
Adkins explained that for him, supporting troops is a black and white issue.
“You either support it or you don’t,” Adkins said. “I’ve always thought anybody who says that, ‘I support the troops, but–,’ to me you’ve disqualified yourself because whatever you say after the ‘but’ is really not important, and whatever you say before the ‘but,’ you didn’t really mean it.”
Niemann added that the way young people have been acting lately has made him even more concerned with the way troops are treated. He thinks it’s become too easy for young people to forget who exactly has made sacrifices for their freedoms.
“From the moment we’re born till we die, we’re obviously free,” Niemann stated. “And that freedom is so constant, and it’s easy to get lost in why we’re so lucky to be here.”
It often seems that most entertainers are afraid to speak out against NFL players who have been kneeling during the National Anthem to protest against racial inequality. Adkins, however, has no fear of speaking out against the players who have been disrespecting the American flag.
He also believes that the NFL did the right thing when they just instituted a policy that will punish the players for kneeling.
“I think that the NFL is a private business, just like any other private business,” Adkins said, adding that the NFL has “the right to tell their employees” what to do.
“It’s my understanding that when you sign a contract to play for the NFL, they have a code of conduct, a morality clause in their contract. If you don’t want to sign the contract, don’t sign the contract. If you do then you should abide by what it says in that contract, this is how we expect you to conduct yourself. You represent the NFL now, and this is the way we think you should conduct yourself,” Adkins said. “And if you don’t like that… You know? I don’t think it prevents anybody from espousing their political views, just do it on your own time.”
Adkins concluded by saying that NFL athletes can “use that platform the way you want to use it on your own time. But when you’re on the job, do the job.”
We applaud Adkins and Niemann for taking a stand for American troops and against NFL kneelers! It’s refreshing to see two celebrities who actually have their priorities straight and are putting veterans first in their hearts!
SHARE this story if you agree with Trace Adkins and Jarrod Niemann that all NFL players should stand for the anthem!
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