Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt took to social media on Monday to defy the left by refusing to take a knee during the national anthem. He explained he would not disrespect the American flag in this way because his grandmother was an immigrant who found success in our great country after coming here with nothing.
NFL Player Stephon Tuitt Takes A Stand For The Anthem And The Flag
The Steelers’ defender defiantly tweeted:
https://twitter.com/DOCnation_7/status/1287760493449555968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1287760493449555968%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdailycaller.com%2F2020%2F07%2F28%2Fpittsburgh-steelers-stephon-tuitt-national-anthem-not-kneeling-grandmother%2F
Tuitt will undoubtedly face serious pressure to kneel. His teammate Cameron Heyward recently said that the Steelers would be protesting together in unity.
“I think we want to stay united in what we do and what we want to accomplish,” Heyward said last month, according to Fox News. “Coach T (Mike Tomlin) always told me that if we win a Super Bowl, that’s not enough for the city of Pittsburgh. We want to leave a lasting change on our community as well.”
RELATED: NFL Legend Mike Ditka: ‘If You Can’t Respect Our National Anthem, Get The H*LL Out Of The Country’
Drew Brees Was ‘Cancelled’ After Defending Flag
We live in a time where taking a stand for the anthem is seen as “risky” and “controversial”.
In June, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was hit with severe backlash. His sin? The Super Bowl MVP said that he would never kneel for the national anthem because of his family’s military background.
“I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country,” Brees said. “Let me just tell you what I see or what I feel when the national anthem is played and when I look at the flag of the United States.”
“I envision my two grandfathers, who fought for this country during World War II, one in the Army and one in the Marine Corps,” he added. “Both risking their lives to protect our country and to try to make our country and this world a better place. So every time I stand with my hand over my heart looking at that flag and singing the national anthem, that’s what I think about.”
Highlight: @readdanwrite asks @drewbrees what the star NFL quarterback thinks about "players kneeling again when the NFL season starts."@drewbrees: “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.”
Full exchange: pic.twitter.com/MpCkFyOMed
— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) June 3, 2020
Tuitt Hit With Backlash
The backlash against Brees was so intense that he was forced to issue apology after apology for his pro-anthem comments.
Tuitt can expect this same kind of backlash, and it’s already starting to come in:
You don't kneel for the flag. You don't kneel for the anthem. You kneel to protest injustice. I'm a veteran and see this very clearly.
— Dave Bricker (CognitiveCaveat) (@CognitiveCaveat) July 27, 2020
This is a bad take yo. The nation is kneeling for a very specific reason. I come from immigrants too and that flag means something different to me as well. But this ain’t the time and place to share those personal view points. This ain’t it, chief.
— Troy Greene (@TeaTimeTroy) July 27, 2020
Lol, imagine still thinking it's the flag you're kneeling against. It's a form of protest against a very specific issue. The fact you can't wrap your head around that yet is mind boggling.
— VooBoOoOoO 👻 (@shinyvoodoo) July 27, 2020
Others, however, support Tuitt and his patriotism:
As a combat veteran who had friends come home in flag draped coffins, I thank you sir.
— Nick Freitas (@NickJFreitas) July 28, 2020
https://twitter.com/ricky4453/status/1287768535796678656
https://twitter.com/Kelly22108132/status/1287913547708735489
Here’s hoping that Stephon Tuitt stays strong, and doesn’t back down to the liberal outrage mob like Drew Brees did.
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