Cleveland Browns' quarterback Baker Mayfield says he will 'absolutely' kneel during anthem even if he loses fans
- Baker Mayfield wrote on Instagram that he plans to kneel during the national anthem in protest of social injustices.
- The quarterback had responded to a fan on Instagram who had asked him not to kneel by saying he "absolutely will."
- In a follow-up message, he responded to claims that kneeling is disrespectful to armed services.
- "Everybody so upset about my comment doesn't understand the reason behind kneeling in the first place," Mayfield wrote. "I have the utmost respect for our military, cops, and people that serve OUR country. It's about equality and everybody being treated the same because we are all human."
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield plans to kneel during the national anthem next season and doesn't mind if he loses fans.
Mayfield responded to an Instagram comment Saturday from a fan asking him not to kneel, and responded "Pull your head out. I absolutely am,″ The Associated Press reported.
Mayfield has been outspoken about his support for protests that call for an end to racism and police brutality in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing.
On Instagram, some commenters started attacking Mayfield, accusing his stance on kneeling as a dishonor to the military.
He responded with a message posted to his Instagram story.
"Everybody so upset about my comment doesn't understand the reason behind kneeling in the first place," Mayfield wrote. "I have the utmost respect for our military, cops, and people that serve OUR country. It's about equality and everybody being treated the same because we are all human. It's been ignored for too long and that it my fault as well for not becoming more educated and staying silent."
"If I lose fans, that's okay. I've always spoken my mind," he added. "And that's from the heart."
Mayfield isn't the only NFL figure showing support for, or at least empathizing with, protesters.
On Friday, Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien said he would kneel with his players if they chose to do so during the anthem.
Earlier this week, new Browns coach Kevin Stefanski made it clear he would back his players in any peaceful demonstrations.
"My position is I want to make sure I support our players," Stefanski said. "First things first, I want to make sure I sit down with them and talk. ... I can just promise you this, we will spend as much time as needed to make sure that we are all on the same page and we are a united front from a player, staff, you name it (standpoint)."
Stefanski attended a peaceful protest last weekend and has encouraged his players to "get in the arena."
These moves come in start contrast to the league's stance on in-game protests only a few years ago.
Colin Kaepernick— the former quarterback and outspoken activist — last played in the NFL when he was San Francisco's starter in 2016. He drew attention and anger for kneeling during the national anthem as a form of protest against police brutality in the United States.
He has since been blackballed from the NFL and settled with the league after suing for collusion alongside former teammate Eric Reid.
Earlier this month, though, the 49ers — his former team — participated in #BlackoutTuesday, a movement intended to signal support for Black Lives Matter.
In the comments, many users noted that the team was notoriously silent when one of its star players brought attention to the Black Lives Matter cause back in 2016.
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