It's claimed some US women soccer players turned backs on 98-year-old WWII vet playing national anthem. But team says they were facing US flag.



Some dust got kicked up when video appeared to show some members of the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team with their backs turned on 98-year-old World War II veteran Pete DuPre while he played the national anthem on harmonica before the team's Olympic send-off game against Mexico on Monday.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @espn

But images apparently can be deceiving.

What are the details?

Responding to a tweet from the Post Millennial accusing some players of turning their backs while DuPre played the anthem, U.S. Soccer Comms shot back with a tweet of its own:

@TPostMillennial Not true. No one turned their back on WWII Veteran Pete DuPré during tonight's anthem. Some USWNT… https://t.co/vF4W0KZkZZ

— U.S. Soccer Comms (@ussoccer_comms) 1625538783.0

"Not true," U.S. Soccer Comms wrote. "No one turned their back on WWII Veteran Pete DuPré during tonight's anthem. Some USWNT players were simply looking at the flag on a pole in one end of the stadium. The players all love Pete, thanked him individually after the game, and signed a ball for him."

U.S. team member Carli Lloyd also tweeted that "we turned because we faced the flag."

Another clip shows most of the players turning toward DuPre and applauding him after he played the anthem:

Thank you, Pete! 🇺🇸❤️ https://t.co/BL7kgHbLfg

— U.S. Soccer WNT (@USWNT) 1625519288.0

It also appeared that most of the players who were facing away from DuPre during the anthem had their hands over their hearts, which doesn't support an anthem protest claim:

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @espn

Richard Grenell chimes in

Richard Grenell — former acting director of National Intelligence under former President Donald Trump — got some attention with his Monday tweet saying "several" U.S. players "turned away from the US flag" while DuPre played the anthem.

Pollster Frank Luntz countered to Grenell that the "U.S. women not facing forward had turned to face the American flag down by the scoreboard. (A few of them placed their hand over their heart while facing toward the flag instead of the anthem performer.)" Luntz also included an image showing the flag by the scoreboard.

In response to U.S. Soccer Comms, Grenell added another tweet saying "not one of those who snubbed the flag & anthem tuned toward Pete. Pete was to their left. ... They aren't turned to him. (Every Mexican player turned for their anthem)."

There appears to be overall confusion regarding the flag's location and the intent of various U.S. players. While video of DuPre playing the anthem doesn't show it, there appears to be a flag at the end of the stadium based on the photo Luntz posted, and some U.S. players were turned in that direction; in addition many people in the crowd also were turned in that same direction during the anthem. But that doesn't explain why a handful of U.S. players faced forward rather than turning toward the flag.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @espn

In the same vein, the Post Millennial's original headline, according to the Internet Archive, reads "DISGRACEFUL: US women's soccer team members turn their backs to 98-year-old WWII vet playing the national anthem" preceded by an "American News" category. But the outlet's updated headline reads "DISGRACEFUL: US women's soccer team members turned away from flag as 98-year-old WWII vet played the national anthem" and is preceded by a "News Analysis" category.

Anything else?

Author and comedian Tim Young noted to Grenell that numerous U.S. women soccer players took a knee in protest during the anthem last year:

Hey @RichardGrenell, here's the same characters from today taking knees last year. https://t.co/Bkwd82gcUf

— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) 1625541459.0

In addition, star player Megan Rapinoe made a name for herself in 2016 after kneeling for the national anthem a la Colin Kaepernick and since then has virtue-signaled around the globe for progressive causes such as lack of diversity and the evils of Trump among many others.

'F*** you Fox News': US Olympian Gwen Berry blasts critics of her national anthem protest. And the White House defends her.



U.S. Olympian Gwen Berry is hitting back hard at critics of her national anthem protest, which she staged on the podium after her third-place finish in the hammer throw at the Olympic trials over the weekend.

What are the details?

As TheBlaze reported, Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas said Monday that Berry should be kicked off the Olympic team after she turned her back to the flag and placed over her head a T-shirt adorned with the phrase "Activist Athlete" while the anthem played.

Berry soon shot back at the GOP congressman by retweeting a message that read, "Dan can kiss my ass."

But that was far from her only salvo. While Berry censored the following tweet to Fox News, there was no mistaking her reaction to the headline about her from the cable news giant:

F*** you @FoxNews https://t.co/gprz5s0989

— Gwen Berry OLY (@MzBerryThrows) 1624827609.0

"F*** you Fox News," she tweeted.

Berry added another Twitter post saying negative comments about her show that "people in American [sic] rally patriotism over basic morality" and that "phony sentiments regarding black lives" after the death of George Floyd "were just a hoax."

But in response to a supportive Twitter user, Berry expressed gratitude and added that she "never said" she "hated" America:

Thank you! I never said I hated this country! People try to put words in my mouth but they can’t. That’s why I spea… https://t.co/7kct2syUUW

— Gwen Berry OLY (@MzBerryThrows) 1624857742.0

The White House defends Berry

As you no doubt expected, there was no criticism from the White House over Berry's protest. After a reporter asked White House press secretary Jen Psaki about President Joe Biden's thoughts concerning Berry, Psaki replied that she had not spoken to Biden about it but knew he would be supportive of her right to "peacefully protest":

I know [Biden is] 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 all around the world. He would also say, of course, that part of that pride in our country means recognizing there are moments where we ... as a country haven't lived up to our highest ideals. And it means respecting the rights of people granted to them in the Constitution to peacefully protest.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended Olympic hammer thrower Gwen Berry “peaceful protest” who turned away… https://t.co/1FaJSO3mDC

— Mona Salama (@MonaSalama_) 1624909670.0

Anything else?

Berry alleged that the national anthem was played to single her out, ESPN reported.

"I feel like it was a setup, and they did it on purpose,'' Berry told the sports network. "I was pissed, to be honest."

From ESPN:

Berry found it to be no matter of coincidence that she was front and center during the anthem. Unlike the Olympics, anthems aren't played to accompany medal ceremonies at the trials. But the hammer throwers received their awards just before the start of the evening session, which has been kicking off all week with a videotaped rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner.''

"They said they were going to play it before we walked out, then they played it when we were out there,'' Berry noted to the sports network. "But I don't really want to talk about the anthem because that's not important. The anthem doesn't speak for me. It never has."

A USA Track and Field spokesperson said the anthem was played according to a previously published schedule.

Berry has been penalized on previous occasions for podium demonstrations and added to ESPN that she's going to her second Olympics to bring more awareness to systemic racism: "My purpose and my mission is bigger than sports. I'm here to represent those ... who died due to systemic racism. That's the important part. That's why I'm going. That's why I'm here today."

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