So, it finally happened. A little lamb has been sacrificed for “disrespecting” the flag. It only took four weeks.
Antonio Cromartie, a cornerback with the Indianapolis Colts and 10-year NFL veteran, was given his walking papers after last Sunday’s 27 to 30 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Cromartie took a knee and raised a “black power” fist during the playing of the US national anthem but stood for the UK anthem, “God Save the Queen.”
Cromartie was fired for what some in the media are saying was the “most unpatriotic decision of his career.” Some are saying the NFL has finally been touched enough and acted because the kneeling for the anthem is causing low ratings. Something the NFL is not used to.
We as fans, and Americans have to ask ourselves, are we being disrespected? Did Cromartie get canned because of the kneeling or because of his bad play? He did get burned against the Jaguars. Lots of other players are kneeling and not losing their jobs because of it.
A closer examination of the “media” outlets suggesting that Cromartie’s release is due to the kneeling and one can easily see there is an agenda at play. It’s not CBS, ABC, CNN, or even Fox claiming Cromartie got fired for political reasons. It’s Brietbart, a super right-wing conservative news outlet, they’re a bit biased, and it’s the Blue Lives Matter Web page which sounds like a group attempting to spew their own bias and twist reality into their warped view.
The truth is Cromartie is getting old; losing his touch. He might have a few good years left but the odds are against him. The receivers he is facing each week are getting younger and faster and he not so much. ESPN and the NFL both simply state that Cromartie got released because of his play. Not that we can totally believe news from the Empire and their cronies. But in this case they seem to have gotten it right.
It is kind of obvious to those of us who do watch football each week, though. Cromartie is just a casualty of father time. Some players can fight it a bit longer than others, but they all fall eventually. Cromartie might still have something in the tank however, as the word is the Saints are thinking about bringing him in.
Regardless of whether the Saints, or any other team, bring back Cromartie, kneeling for the anthem to make a political statement is not the reason he or any other player will get fired or even fined. The NFL doesn’t like players who don’t match perfectly with their socks or other parts of their uniform. The NFL doesn’t like cheaters using enhancements to gain advantage.
But the NFL and their fans respect a player who stands up for what he believes in. Think about it. It is impossible to disrespect a flag that stands for freedom of speech by saying what you feel. Players who take a stand by kneeling for their cause are just being good Americans.