State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma) on Tuesday called on Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam to do what he can to stop NFL players from taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem.
Haslam’s brother, Jimmy, is owner of the Cleveland Browns in addition to being CEO of the Pilot Flying J chain of gas stations and convenience stores.
Matheny, who is running for Congress in the Sixth Congressional District, posted the following on Facebook Tuesday morning along with a photo of Cleveland Browns players taking a knee at a game Monday evening. A dozen players were reported to have taken a knee.
Governor Haslam, your family owns the Cleveland Browns. Would you please use your influence to put an immediate stop to the behavior displayed in the NFL last night. These individuals who disrespected our flag and anthem should be returned to normal jobs and help build our community. Their actions only set poor examples for our youth to follow-all this in a time when we need national cohesion worse than ever.
Would the citizens of Tennessee, Ohio and the rest of the country please DEMAND this behavior stop. We cannot let public figures continue to get away with disavowing the core of our country while they accept the fortunes it has to offer.
In case you missed it, here are the names of the players and a picture of their actions turning their backs on our flag and sagging their heads during our anthem. This is a serious flaw we have in the respect for our great nation and it must stop. Governor, YOU have direct influence to help remedy this.
Linebackers Jamie Collins and Christian Kirksey, running backs Duke Johnson, Terrence Magee, Isaiah Crowell and Brandon Wilds, wide receivers Kenny Britt and Ricardo Louis, safeties Jabrill Peppers and Calvin Pryor, tight end Seth DeValve and cornerback Jamar Taylor all dropped to one knee during the anthem.
These NFL players make their money in America off of Americans. Let’s see how well they would do in a communist controlled country. They should thank their lucky Stars and Stripes for playing in the USA.