Hey, CBS News: NFL players are NOT protesting the national anthem

Bill Goodykoontz | The Republic | azcentral.com

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump: NFL owners should fire national anthem protesters President Trump weighed in on the wave of national anthem protests in the NFL, saying owners should fire those who take a knee.

What, exactly, are NFL players protesting when they take a knee during the national anthem before games?

Do you really know? And if you do, could you tell CBS News?

First things first: The players are protesting police brutality against minorities and racial inequality.

That’s it.

Here is what they are not protesting:

The national anthem.

U.S. troops.

President Donald Trump.

The United States.

Nope, none of them, no matter what anyone might say. But like everything else we talk about in politics and culture today, the peaceful protests have been misrepresented and turned into a political football (sorry).

Evidently CBS News isn’t aware.

During a campaign appearance recently, Beto O’Rourke, the Democrat running for U.S. Senate against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz in Texas, was asked if he thought kneeling during the anthem was disrespectful. He did not, O’Rourke said: “I can think of nothing more American than to peacefully stand up or take a knee for your rights anytime, anywhere, any place.”

Beto O'Rourke says there's "nothing more American" than NFL players protesting the national anthem https://t.co/ZTmoPe9YBI pic.twitter.com/O3NNmN7eOk — CBS News (@CBSNews) August 25, 2018

Early Saturday morning CBS News posted a tweet with a link to a story about O’Rourke. Repeating the headline of the story, it read: “Beto O’Rourke says there’s ‘nothing more American’ than NFL players protesting the national anthem.”

No, he didn’t.

There was a small outcry on Twitter, and CBS News later tweeted a clarification. Sort of.

“Editor's note: ‘CBS News has changed a headline to more wholly reflect Beto O'Rourke's remarks and correct a previous headline that stated O'Rourke said there was ‘nothing more American’ than NFL players protesting the national anthem.’”

Editor's note: CBS News has changed a headline to more wholly reflect Beto O'Rourke's remarks and correct a previous headline that stated O'Rourke said there was "nothing more American" than NFL players protesting the national anthem. https://t.co/36nR2en45n — CBS News (@CBSNews) August 25, 2018

One … more … time: NO HE DIDN’T.

Cruz said that he did. Trump says this all the time — that the protest is over the anthem. CBS and ESPN have announced that they won’t broadcast the anthem before games (the NFL has instituted rules to fine those who protest during the anthem). When ESPN announced it wouldn’t show the anthem (it hasn’t aired the anthem in previous years), Trump called it a “spineless surrender to the politically correct liberal mob.” He has said he’ll start a petition to get the network to air the anthem.

It’s a contentious debate, no doubt, and certainly you can fall on whichever side of it you choose. But at least know what the issue really is, particularly if you’re covering it.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: @goodyk

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