US Soccer Athletes' Council expels member who opposed allowing players to protest national anthem



The U.S. Soccer Federation's Athletes' Council voted to remove member Seth Jahn on Sunday, alleging the former captain of the U.S. Soccer 7-a-side Paralympic team made racially insensitive comments that demanded his immediate removal.

What is the background?

On Saturday, the U.S. Soccer Federation's National Council voted to formally repeal its policy that required athletes to stand during the playing of the national anthem.

ESPN reported:

The vote to repeal Policy 604-1, which took place at the USSF's annual general meeting on Saturday, received 71.34% of the weighted vote. The policy had already been repealed by the USSF board of directors last June, but it still required a vote from the National Council, which comprises hundreds of voters from across the country representing stakeholders from the youth, adult amateur and professional constituencies, as well as the athletes' council.

What did Jahn say?

Prior to the vote repealing the policy, Jahn, a U.S. military veteran, spoke out for seven minutes voicing his opposition to repeal.

Jahn centered his criticism on two issues over which athletes have protested the national anthem: policy brutality and slavery.

On the first, Jahn claimed police brutality is "a narrative with relatively zero data to substantiate it." On the second, Jahn appeared to downplay the significance of race-based chattel slavery, which existed in America between the 17th and 19th centuries.

"I keep hearing how our country was founded on the backs of slaves, even though approximately only 8% of the entire population even owned slaves," he said. "Every race in the history of mankind has been enslaved by another demographic at some point time. Blacks have been enslaved. Hispanics have been enslaved. Asians most recently in our country in the freaking 20th century have been enslaved. Natives have been enslaved. Whites have been enslaved."

Jahn went on to say that he supports the First Amendment rights of others, but explained he believes individuals should not express their political opinions when collectively representing America.

"United we stand, divided we kneel," he said.

How did the federation respond?

The U.S. Soccer Athletes' Council voted Sunday to remove Jahn, claiming he violated U.S. Soccer's "prohibited conduct policy, specifically the section on harassment," the Athletic reported.

The Athletic characterized Jahn's comments as "racist and historically inaccurate."

In a statement, the U.S. Soccer Athletes' Council said Jahn's removal was "effective immediately" and said the council wanted to be "unequivocal in its condemnation" of Jahn.

The statement read, in part:

The Athletes' Council does not tolerate this type of language and finds it incompatible with membership on the Council. While the Council understands that each person has a right to his or her own opinion, there are certain opinions that go beyond the realm of what is appropriate or acceptable.

How did Jahn respond to his removal?

Jahn, who served three tours in Afghanistan during his special forces military career, went scorched-earth on U.S. Soccer.

"I will never apologize for the statements I made, and will never bow down to the mob mentality of intimidation, bullying, or the social media warrior's gestapo tactics," he said. "I'm embarrassed to represent a hypocritical federation that conducts a complete assault on diversity of thought."

My apology letter: https://t.co/QLaHhjXDfn
— Seth Jahn (@Seth Jahn)1614522147.0

Tennessee GOP lawmakers urge university presidents to prohibit student-athletes from kneeling for the national anthem



Every Republican state senator in Tennessee signed onto a letter recently urging university presidents in the state to prevent student-athletes from kneeling during the national anthem before games.

"In light of recent news reports, we want to address the issue of our student athletes kneeling during the National Anthem prior to sports competitions," the senators wrote on Monday in reference to a decision by members of the East Tennessee State University men's basketball team to kneel during the anthem last week in protest of racial inequality.

In the letter, the senators called the anthem "a symbol of pride for America" that "lifts our spirits toward the ideals upon which our great country was founded" and "represents not only the freedoms we enjoy as Americans but the ultimate sacrifice paid by many in order for us to enjoy those freedoms."

"When they don the jersey of a Tennessee university, they step out of their personal roles and into the role of an ambassador for our state," the letter continued. "We expect all those who walk onto the field of play representing our universities to also walk onto the field of play to show respect for our National Anthem."

"To address this issue, we encourage each of you to adopt policies within your respective athletic departments to prohibit any such actions moving forward," the senators finally stated.

https://t.co/jAib29QypP
— Sen. Paul Bailey (@Sen. Paul Bailey)1614106024.0

Of course, the senators do not explicitly call for student-athletes who kneel to be punished. But punishment is implicit in their request. After all, how else could university presidents "prohibit" student-athletes from kneeling except by implementing some form of penalty or punishment for doing so?

As should have been expected, the senators' request immediately garnered criticism for potentially trampling on the students' First Amendment right to free speech.

A parody account on Twitter, called "The First Amendment," scolded the senators, suggesting, "Try reading me again or, you know, for the first time."

Reason writer Robby Soave slammed the senators' request as "a particularly galling example of Republicans seeking to use the power of the state to squelch speech that they don't like."

According to the Tennessean, during a joint session of Congress in Tennessee, some state lawmakers questioned whether broad freedom of speech extends to athletes in uniform at public universities.

One Republican representative, Sen. Mark Pody, called it concerning that student-athletes would engage in an act of protest while "they're taking state money, they're in our state schools, in our state uniforms."

However, the fact is that students at public universities enjoy broad free speech protections, and those rights outlined and reinforced in the student codes of conduct.

Notably, in the landmark decision of Tinker v. Des Moines, the Supreme Court ruled that students "do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate."

'We as a country haven’t lived up to our highest ideals': Biden backs athletes' right to protest during national anthem, Psaki says



On the heels of the NBA's roller-coaster ride this week over the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner," White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday told reporters that while President Joe Biden respects the national anthem, he also respects the right of players to kneel in protest while it's played.

What are the details?

A reporter asked Psaki what position Biden is taking on Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reportedly deciding to stop playing the anthem before his squad's home games.

While Psaki said she hasn't spoken to Biden about the specific issue, she did say, "I know he's incredibly proud to be an American and has great respect for the anthem and all that it represents — especially for our men and women serving in uniform around the world."

She added, however, that Biden also would say "that part of pride in our country means recognizing moments where we as a country haven't lived up to our highest ideals, which is often and at times what people are speaking to when they take action at sporting events. And it means respecting the right of people, granted to them in the Constitution, to peacefully protest. That's why he ran for president in the first place, and that's what he's focused on doing every day."

MARK CUBAN/NATIONAL ANTHEM: Jen Psaki: “I know [President Biden's] incredibly proud to be an American and has great… https://t.co/QvYeVIF2Af
— Forbes (@Forbes)1613058300.0

What's the background?

After the anthem has't being played before Mavericks home games, the National Basketball Association on Wednesday issued a statement saying the anthem indeed will be played at every league game for every team.

According to MarketWatch, the league's statement was "in response" to the Mavericks' omitting the anthem. And it was quite a shift from NBA spokesman Tim Frank's earlier statement to the Associated Press, according to NBC Sports: "Under the unique circumstances of this season, teams are permitted to run their pregame operations as they see fit."

The New York Times reported that Cuban said "we are good with it" in regard to the league's insistence on the anthem being played — but the opinionated owner reportedly had other things to say following the NBA's declaration.

Shams Charania of the Athletic tweeted a partial statement from the Mavericks owner: "We respect and always have respected the passion people have for the anthem and our country. I have always stood for the anthem with [my] hand over my heart — no matter where I hear it play. But we also hear the voices of those who do not feel the anthem represents them. We feel they also need to be respected and heard, because they have not been heard."

Cuban reportedly added in the statement that "the hope is that those who feel passionate about the anthem being played will be just as passionate in listening to those who do not feel it represents them," Charania noted.

Construction company gives up Utah Jazz suite, slams NBA's anthem kneeling and 'divisive' BLM 'propaganda'



A construction company in Salt Lake City recently sent a letter to the Utah Jazz announcing it would no longer pay for an arena suite after the NBA essentially turned itself into "a billboard for the 'Black Lives Matter' movement."

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the company, SME Steel Contractors, Inc., is fed up with the "divisive political propaganda" and is asking the team and league to "put a stop to all disrespectful actions during the anthem and remove the Black Lives Matter logo from the arena."

In a letter sent to Jazz owner Gail Miller earlier this month, company leadership wrote: "The recent actions of the NBA — including the owners, coaches and players of the Utah Jazz — have converted a beloved entertainment venue into a forum for dissemination of political propaganda which is divisive and completely out of step with our company and its values."

The letter went on to cite players kneeling during the national anthem and displaying Black Lives Matter-related slogans on their jerseys as specific reasons for the company's "disappointment and disillusionment."

"Standing quietly and respectfully during the anthem is not merely an antiquated or courteous tradition, it is a way of honoring the many thousands who have protected this country and its unique freedoms-through their service and sacrifice," the letter states before hammering athletes and coaches for kneeling.

"To say the least, it is ironic that pampered and exceptionally well-paid athletes cavalierly exercise the freedom bought for them through the courage, and sacrifice of this nation's servicemen and women by disrespectfully kneeling during the country's anthem," the letter reads. "By the same token, it seems odd and inappropriate for NBA players to adorn their jerseys with names and tributes for felons and politically-divisive slogans from Black Lives Matter, when true heroes like Chris Kyle and Pat Tillman go unnoticed and unremarked."

SME claimed it has spent in excess $6 million over the 28 years that it has licensed a full suite to Jazz games and that several of its employees were "personally involved" in the construction of the arena.

In a statement, the company added that the feedback it has received since sending the letter has been "overwhelmingly positive."

"We have received emails and letters from individuals and companies throughout the country thanking us for standing up for the country, the national anthem, and the idea that sporting events do not need to be a venue for forcing controversial political views on patrons," SME general counsel Mark Wilkey told the Free Beacon.

Since its restart over the summer, the NBA has struggled to attract viewers, with many fans claiming the league has "become too political." During the shortened season, the league has allowed players to kneel during the national anthem and opted to paint "Black Lives Matter" on the shared courts used in the Disney World "bubble."

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump took notice of the ratings drop and wrote on Twitter that "people are tired of watching the highly political NBA."

People are tired of watching the highly political @NBA. Basketball ratings are WAY down, and they won’t be coming b… https://t.co/aJ68sB7WLX
— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)1598964760.0