Pittsburgh Steelers' player Alejandro Villanueva is a hero among cowards

Dana Mathewson

Note: This post now has two parts!

Well! With all the important things facing this country (North Korea's nukes, horrendous storm damage to Houston, Florida, and various islands in the Caribbean, Republicans' failures to advance the President's legislative agenda, etc.) our oh-so-patriotic Drive-By Media keeps producing squirrels to distract us.

The current squirrel is the flap about NFL players refusing to stand for the National Anthem. Why, if you listen to them, you'd actually believe that America is a nation of racial hatred and oppression (on the part of whites, of course) and it's only through the courage of such people as Colin What's-his-name that we're just finding out about it. Now you even have the coaches getting on board.

Yesterday the Pittsburgh Steelers sank to a new low, with the team cowering in the locker room during the playing of the National Anthem -- with the approval of their coach. In fact, he pretty much ordered ALL team members to join the move.

And they did. All but one true hero.

Alejandro Villanueva is an American hero.

He's a West Point graduate -- a former Army Ranger -- served three tours of duty in Afghanistan. He is the recipient of the Bronze Star medal for valor and the Bronze Star medal for overseas service.

He also plays football for the Pittsburgh Steelers -- an offensive tackle.

Over the weekend, the Steelers decided they would remain inside the locker room during the National Anthem.

"People shouldn't have to choose," Coach Mike Tomlin told CBS Sports. "If a guy wants to go about his normal business and participate in the anthem, he shouldn't be forced to choose sides."

Apparently, the players were so fearful of being triggered by American patriotism they chose to sequester themselves inside a designated safe space.

And on Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago, the Steelers were conspicuously absent as tens of thousands of football fans rose to their feet to honor America and our brave fighting men and women.

"We will not be divided by this," Tomlin told the Post-Gazette. We've got a group of men in there that come from different socioeconomic backgrounds, races, creeds, ethnicities,(and) religions."

Every single member of the Pittsburgh Steelers hid in the locker room -- except for one.

Alejandro Villanueva.

But instead of honoring Villanueva's decision, the head coach rebuked the decorated war veteran.

[...]

"Like I said, I was looking for 100 percent participation," Tomlin told reporters at a post-game press conference. "We were gonna be respectful of our football team."

Villanueva had a choice: either respect the football team or respect America. He chose America

 

Todd Starnes wrote this story for Fox News, here: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/09/25/pittsburgh-steelers-player-alejandro-villanueva-is-hero-among-cowards.html

Personally, I am doubly revolted by the coach's actions, and words. "Be respectful of the TEAM?" How about being respectful of the flag? And of the President, since that's what the current flap is about? And to me, it would be slightly less important if it were by some jerk-water no-account team that just joined the league recently. But this was the STEELERS, for cryin'-out loud: the team that was crushing the vaunted Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowls years ago, when the Cowboys were supposed to be "America's Team" (and I and everyone I knew hated them. To us, the Steelers were America's Team!). Can you imagine them pulling these kinds of shenanigans back when Terry Bradshaw was their heart and soul?

 

I see that as a result of this, Villanueva's jersey is selling like hotcakes in stores. Good! I hope it's the only one that sells!

And you can bet I won't be watching Monday Night Football tonight -- though I wouldn't have been anyhow.

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Part Two:

FLASHBACK: NFL Banned Teams From Honoring Murdered Cops; Threatened Players Honoring 9/11

Folks, it's not as if the NFL is holding out for its players to have their "First Amendment Rights" honored 100% of the time. Nosiree. Just check this little item:

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell attacked President Trump for showing a "lack of respect for the NFL” — regarding the president's recent comments criticizing players for not standing during the national anthem — because it violated the "constitutional rights of our players,” referring to the First Amendment.

This comes from the same commissioner who threatened NFL players who wanted to honor both 9/11 victims and five police officers who were murdered in Dallas.

The Dallas Cowboys wanted to pay tribute to the five Dallas officers who were murdered at a Black Lives Matter protest on July 7, 2016. The Cowboys had been wearing a special decal on their helmets that said "Arm in Arm” that specifically honored the police officers — that is, until the NFL stepped in and stopped it.

"The NFL had an opportunity to be leaders and advocates for change in law enforcement," Sgt. Demetrick Pennie, president of The Dallas Fallen Officer Foundation, told TMZ at the time. "These are our friends and our loved ones ... it hurts to not have the NFL fully support us.”

Nationally syndicated conservative talk-radio host, Mark Levin, fumed over the decision by the NFL, calling it "embarrassing” and "disgraceful”:

Let me tell you why the NFL won’t do this. Anyone have a guess? I have a big guess: Because they don’t want any trouble from the leftists, from the Black Lives Matter crowd. I know exactly what’s going on here. Like Hillary Clinton doesn’t seek the endorsement from the cops union. Of course not. The Democrat Party’s gone. And the NFL top brass, like the NBA top brass, like baseball top brass, all liberal Democrats. [Every] damn one of them, pretty much.

Even more disgusting was the NFL’s response last September to players who wanted to honor the thousands of Americans who were murdered by Islamic terrorists on 9/11.

"Avery Williamson, a starting linebacker for the Tennessee team, hoped to wear a pair of specially-designed cleats at his team’s home opener Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, but he backed off when a league rep vowed to fine him for violating the league’s uniform code,” the New York Post reported.

[...]

Six NFL players ended up wearing 9/11 tribute cleats on the 15th anniversary of the terrorist attack, including Williamson — the NFL decided not to fine them after public outrage reached peak levels.

The article is found here: http://www.dailywire.com/news/21473/flashback-nfl-banned-teams-honoring-murdered-cops-ryan-saavedra?utm_source=dwemail&utm_medium=email&utm_content=092517-news&utm_campaign=position2

Dana adds as a postscript:

In a better world, or a world like the one we lived in not so long ago, the word would have come down from the NFL leadership (yes, they used to have leadership -- I'm sure I can remember such a time) that the players could do just about anything they damn well pleased -- as long as they were on their own time and in "private clothes." But when they were in uniform, they were representing their teams and the NFL, and were expected to NOT engage in any conduct that would in any way embarrass their team or the league in any way, said conduct was to be consistent with their identity as American citizens. Any infractions would be punished with significant fines, to be escalated for repeated infractions, including suspension from games, and, if necessary, termination of contract.

Yes, I can remember a time when this would be Standard Operating Procedure. But then, I'm in my 70's, and behavioral standards were different when I was growing up. (Sigh)

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