No matter how hard he tries, Royce Freeman can’t escape the endless cycle of news about American politics.
He sees it whenever he turns on his television or logs on to Twitter. He doesn’t always like what he finds, but that partially changed over the weekend as he watched a wave of protests from NFL players, coaches and owners following harsh comments from President Donald Trump about NFL players who protested during the national anthem.
“I mean, I think it’s great,” Freeman said. “I think it’s great that the NFL is unifying. I saw a lot of unification of people of different social and economic background. And seeing that come together — whether it’s GMs, owners, players — it really touched my heart.
“I think it’s a problem that needs to be brought to the forefront, and a lot of guys are contributing to it and want to see changes made,” he continued.
In an appearance at a rally in Alabama last Saturday, Trump said that NFL players who protested during the national anthem should be “fired” and called any players that did a “son of a bitch.”
This issue first arose in 2016 when then-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, knelt during the national anthem as a way to bring attention to what he viewed as the oppression of people of color. Since then, kneeling during the national anthem has gained nationwide recognition and hit an all-time high on Sunday following Trump’s comments.
The issue of politics in sports has long been a polarizing issue, with many claiming that athletes should “stick to sports” while others say that they should use their platform to help create change.
Oregon head coach Willie Taggart has made clear that he wants to avoid talking about politics and instead focus on the product on the field. But Taggart has said that he’s discussed political issues with players. He says his main goal in these discussions is to make sure his players are educated on world events.
“If it’s something that’s affecting our team, or anyone, we’re going to talk about it and try do what’s best for our team and make sure we’re educated on what’s going on,” Taggart said when asked about the NFL protests at his press conference on Monday. “The most important thing is that we continue to educate our young people.”
In an Oregonian story published two weeks ago, several players disagreed with the aspect of “sticking to sports.”
“As athletes, we should take advantage of our platform and speak on social injustice that’s going on,” senior cornerback Arrion Springs told the Oregonian. “Instead of us being silent, we should speak out about it.
“I’m on my Twitter all the time, and I see all the feed and stuff that’s going on, it’s kind of hard for me to ignore it because it could happen to me. Why would I ignore what’s happening?”
Protests made it to college football last year when three Nebraska players knelt during the national anthem. Oregon isn’t on the field for the national anthem at Autzen Stadium, but Springs told the Oregonian that if the team was, he’s sure that numerous players, including himself, would kneel.
It doesn’t seem like protests in the NFL will end anytime soon. And as long as it’s still an issue, don’t expect Oregon’s athletes to simply stick to sports.
Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris
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