Standing for Our National Anthem

This past weekend, my wife and I participated in a walk to fight ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) event at the Great Park in Irvine, California. We were representing a close friend of ours, John, who has ALS. (I also lost a first cousin to ALS several years ago.) Several hundred people participated in this walk representing family or close friends, both living and deceased.

John is a Vietnam vet who may have been exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam. Because of that, the VA is providing all his medical treatment.

Prior to the start, a lady sang the National Anthem. Rather than remain seated in his wheelchair as he could have, John struggled to stand and remove his cap. Seeing him struggle, two of us assisted him up and held his arms while he stood for the National Anthem.

I Immediately got to thinking that if John in his wheelchair  could get up and stand for the National Anthem, why can’t these NFL football players? Here are men so physically blessed, yet they can’t bring themselves to perform a simple gesture that John had to struggle to do to honor our country.

On Sunday, the NFL, under the feckless leadership of Roger Goodell, held a “Salute to Service” weekend with all the coaches dressed up in camouflage garb. It was supposed to honor our military. Sorry, but to me it was a phony effort to reclaim some of the lost credibility and fan support which has been lost as a result of the kneeling exhibitions.

Frankly, I am sick and tired of hearing whether Colin Kaepernick, who started this whole mess last year, is being blackballed by NFL teams. He is now filing a grievance claiming that he is the victim of collusion by the NFL not to sign him, as if he has a right to a contract. (He is a free agent.)

If Kaepernick and these overgrown, overpaid guys who can’t stand for our National Anthem want to know what a real man is, I can introduce them to my friend John.