The Tennessee Titans’ tight end Delanie Walker may believe money grows on trees, for he apparently does not think ticket-buying fans pay his salary.
The NFL player smack-talked his team’s fan base earlier this week when he said those who are upset about high-salaried players kneeling for the national anthem should stay home, Fox News Insider quoted from other media reports.
Or perhaps the athlete thinks people pay to hear his political opinions rather than watching him compete in a sporting event.
“OK. Bye,” the tight end was reported saying about Titans’ fans. Walker has a two-year, $13.3 million contract.
Coach Mike Mularkey told the media that he thought it was a team-wide decision to remain in the locker room Sunday, Sept. 24.
The Titans media office declined to comment to The Tennessee Star on Walker’s remarks and referred to their Sept. 24 statement: “As a team, we wanted to be unified in our actions today. The players jointly decided this was the best course of action. Our commitment to the military and our community is resolute and the absence of our team for the national anthem shouldn’t be misconstrued as unpatriotic.”
Jessie James Decker, the country singer and wife of wide receiver Eric Decker, said her husband was not told about the plan, Fox News Insider also reported.
Walker and his family received death threats after he made his remarks, ESPN reported. He posted a photo on Instagram showing him greeting military members during a USO tour and called the death threats “heartbreaking.”
One football player has received veterans’ acclaim for standing for the anthem on Sept. 24.
The Veterans Of Foreign Wars issued a statement saluting the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Alejandro Villanueva, a veteran, for “showing the rest of his team and the league what true mettle is,” The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
If Walker supports veterans, perhaps he could borrow Villanueva’s playbook and leave his politics at home and focus on his work while on the clock. Meanwhile, one could assume the Titans’ owners hope the team’s fans ignore their tight end’s advice and continue to buy tickets.
I think the NFL should support the LGBTQ community by holding up rainbow colored banners or wear rainbow colored helmets. I believe the NFL is homophobic and this should immediately stop!