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Baldwin: NFL owner is forcing his players to stand during national anthem

By John Breech Oct 05, 2016 • 2 min read

Through the first four weeks of the NFL season, more and more players have been joining the cause that was started by Colin Kaepernick six weeks ago.
Back in August, the 49ers quarterback decided he was going to start kneeling during national anthem as a way to protest racial inequality. Since then, more than 20 players have joined Kaepernick's cause. In Week 4 alone, there were at least 24 players besides Kaepernick who protested during the national anthem by either kneeling or raising their fist.
Although more players will likely join Kaepernick's cause as the season continues, at least one team definitely won't be joining it, and that's because their owner won't let them.
Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin revealed on Wednesday that there's at least one NFL team that's not allowed to protest because their owner is strictly forbidding it.
Baldwin was asked about the subject by Bill Simmons in an interview for "Any Given Wednesday" that sets to air Wednesday night (10 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO.
From the interview:
Baldwin: "There are some owners out there that have taken a stand and told players to do certain things which I think is egregious..."
Simmons: "What do you mean 'taken a stand'?"
Baldwin: "There's been owners that have told their players to do specific things. Or to not do specific things, I should say."
At that point, Simmons asked for a few more details.
"Specifically, regarding the national anthem and the protests, the one quote that I was informed of was, 'You're going to stand on the line with your hand on your heart and you're going to sing the national anthem because this is my stage,'" Baldwin said.
Just to be clear, Simmons then asked if it was an owner who said that about the national anthem.
"Yeah," Baldwin replied.
The fact that an NFL owner isn't happy about the way Kaepernick's protesting isn't a surprise. Jerry Jones has already gone on the record calling the protests a disappointment.
However, it is somewhat of a surprise that an owner would try to control his players protesting methods when it comes to a sensitive issue like racial equality. The NFL doesn't currently have any black owners, which only compounds the issue when you're talking about a topic dealing with race.
In the case of Kaepernick's protest, one of the worst things a billionaire owner can do is tell his players they're not allowed to protest. If anything, that only helps prove Kaepernick's point

Music:

Machine Gun (Live) (1997 Digital Remaster)
Jimi Hendrix
"Happy new year first of all. I hope we'll have
A million or two million more of them... if we
Can get over this summer, he he he. right I'd
Like to dedicate this one to the draggin' scene
That's goin' on all the soldiers that are fightin'
In chicago, milwaukee and new york... oh yeas, and
All the soldiers fightin' in vietnam. like to do
A thing called 'machine gun'."
Machine gun
Tearing my body all apart
Machine gun
Tearing my body all apart
Evil man make me kill ya
Evil man make you kill me
Evil man make me kill you
Even though we're only families apart
Well I pick up my axe and fight lik a bomber
(you know what I mean)
Hey and your bullets keep knocking me down
Hey I pick up my axe and fight like a bomber now
Yeah but you still blast me down to the ground
The same way you shoot me down baby
You'll be going just the same
Three times the pain
And your own self to blame
Hey machine gun
Oooooooooo
I ain't afraid of your mess no more, babe
I ain't afraid no more
After a while your your cheap talk don't evern cause me pain
So let your bullets fly like rain
'cause I know all the time you're wrong baby
And you'll be goin' just the same
Yeah machine gun
Tearing my family apart
Yeah yeah alright
Tearing my family apart
Don't you shoot him down
He's about to leave here
Don't you shoot him down
He's got to stay here
He ain't going nowhere
He's been shot down to the ground
Oh where he can't survive no no
Yeah that's what we don't wanna hear any more, alright
No bullets
At least here, huh huh
No guns, no bombs
Huh huh
No nothin', just let's all live and live
You know instead of killin'