A member of the United States Football Federation’s athletes’ council was dismissed on Sunday after giving a speech at a meeting expressing his opinion against the organization that repeals the anti-kneeling policy.
Seth Jahn, 38, was against the decision of the American Football Federation to repeal the rule for players who forbid their knees during the national anthem. The organization’s board voted to repeal the policy in June and it was affirmed at its annual meeting on Saturday, with more than 71% of the vote in favor of the repeal.
The rule was established after Megan Rapinoe became the first professional athlete to follow in the footsteps of Colin Kaepernick and kneel during the anthem to protest racism and police brutality. The American women’s soccer team said last month that it was past the protest stage.
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Jahn, who played for the United States’ team of seven at the 2015 Parapan American Games, delivered a passionate speech before the vote.
Some members of the United States national team kneel while playing the national anthem before a SheBelieves Cup women’s football match against Canada, Thursday, February 18, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. (AP Photo / Phelan M. Ebenhack)
“I am sure that I will irritate some penalties with what I am about to say, especially considering the advice of athletes that I am on, but given the evolution of our progressive culture, in quotes, where everything offends everyone, those who are willing to kneeling for our anthem don’t mind defending half of our country and when they do, then I’m not too concerned about also exercising my First Amendment right, “he said on Saturday, via Stars and Stripes FC. “We are here to have a different perspective. I also feel compelled to articulate that I am of mixed race and representative, without a doubt, of the most persecuted people in the history of our country, the Native Americans.”
Jahn said that “95% of deaths in black communities come at the hands of another black man.” He said he was quoting FBI statistics with that number.
UNITED STATES FOOTBALL MEMBERS VOTE TO ELIMINATE THE PROHIBITION OF Kneeling DURING THE NATIONAL ANTEMA
“I continue to hear how our country was founded on the backs of slaves, although approximately only 8% of the entire population had slaves,” said Jahn. Each race in human history has been enslaved by another demographic at some point. Blacks were enslaved. Hispanics were enslaved. Asians more recently in our country, in the damn 20th century, were enslaved. The natives were enslaved. Whites were enslaved. Gee, I lived in Africa for two and a half years where I could buy people, slaves, between the price of $ 300 and $ 800 per person, per capita depending on their age, health and physicality.
“Where were the social justice warriors and news journalists to bring their rumors about these real atrocities? And yet, in all history, only one country has fought to abolish slavery, the United States of America, where almost 400,000 men died to fight for the abolition of slavery under the same stars and bars by which our athletes kneel. Their sacrifice is contaminated with every knee that touches the ground. “
USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone said the protest was not about the flag and called for revocation.
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The next day, the athlete’s council said he had removed Jahn because he “violated the section of the Prohibited Conduct on Harassment Policy, which prohibits racial or other harassment based on a person’s protective status (running), including any act verbal in which running is used or implied in a way that would upset a reasonable person. The board of athletes does not tolerate this type of language and considers it incompatible with participation on the board. Although the board understands that each person is entitled to his own opinion, are certain opinions that go beyond what is appropriate or acceptable. “
The Associated Press contributed to this report.