This Saturday, a rookie catcher for the Oakland A’s let loose a few choice words for President Trump on Instagram; later that day he became the first Major League Baseball player to take a knee during the National Anthem.
“My decision had been coming for a long time,” Bruce Maxwell said according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “The only way we can come together is by informing. … To single out NFL players for doing this isn’t something we should be doing — I felt it should be a little more broad.”
“The point of my kneeling was not to disrespect our military or our constitution or our country,” Maxwell, who has a military background, continued. Although he took a knee, he made sure to place his hand over his heart.
“My hand was over my heart because I love this country and I have family members, including my father, who bled for this country, and who continue to serve. At the end of the day, this is the best country on the planet. I am and forever will be an American citizen and grateful to be here, but my kneeling is what’s getting the attention, and I’m kneeling for the people who don’t have a voice. This goes beyond the black and Hispanic communities because right now we have a racial divide that’s being practiced from the highest power we have in this country saying it’s basically OK to treat people differently.”
“I’m kneeling for a cause but I’m in no way disrespecting my country or my flag,” he added.
Here are Bruce Maxwell's words. The rest can be found in @susanslusser's story: https://t.co/iJv9S396MA pic.twitter.com/smRIwqdOjj
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 24, 2017
The move comes as tension ratchets up between professional athletes and President Trump, who has made a point to resume attacking them on social media and in public.
Speaking at a rally this week in Huntsville, Alabama, Trump took aim at quarterback Colin Kaepernick, saying, “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b*tch off the field right now. Out. He’s fired! He’s fired!’”
A’s Bruce Maxwell just took a knee during anthem. He is the first in #MLB to do it. @sfchronicle @SFGate #baseball #Oakland #athletics pic.twitter.com/xJMeAskC4z
— Santiago Mejia (@SantiagoMejia) September 24, 2017
Featured image via YouTube
