Thread: Pittsburgh Steelers fans upset, burn memorabilia over national anthem stance

Pittsburgh Steelers fans upset, burn memorabilia over national anthem stance

Updated: Sep 25, 2017 - 6:34 PM

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Steelers did not take the field to the national anthem Sunday prior to their game against the Chicago Bears and that decision isn’t sitting well with some fans.

Shortly after the players were no shows on the field, Steelers fans across the country posted videos on social media burning their memorabilia.

Marine Jim Heaney posted on YouTube and said, “Can't come out and stand for our anthem or flag? I'm done with you. #BoycottPittsburghSteelers #BoycottTheNFL” Another Pittsburgh Steelers fan, @ArvinGibbs, tweeted a video of himself burning a Steelers shirt while playing the national anthem.

Robert L Williams posted this video to YouTube showing himself burning several items, including a Steelers jacket.

Another Steelers fan, Mike Hesson, posted a video and said, "Today after 30 years of loving the Pittsburgh Steelers, I'm going to burn my Steelers jersey."

Others are not burning their memorabilia, but plan to auction their items off and give the proceeds to a veteran’s charity.

The Pittsburgh Steelers participated in response to the comments made by President Trump, not as a political statement, but to avoid putting players in tough spots.

http://www.wpxi.com/sports/nfl/pitts...ance/614597863

Alejandro Villanueva sorry for making Steelers look bad by standing alone

6:43 PM ET
September 25, 2017

PITTSBURGH -- Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva blames himself for the image of him standing away from teammates during Sunday's national anthem, saying he unintentionally separated himself in the moments leading up to the game.

"When everybody sees the image of me by myself, everybody thinks the team, the Steelers are not behind me, and that's absolutely wrong. I made coach (Mike) Tomlin look bad, and that is my fault and my fault only. I made my teammates look bad, and that is my fault and my fault only."

Feeling the need to see the flag during the anthem, Villanueva, a former Army ranger who toured several times in Afghanistan, asked quarterback Ben Roethlisberger if he could stand in front of the tunnel to get a vantage point. Roethlisberger agreed, and Villanueva found himself too far out while trying to gauge where the flags were. He contemplated turning back, but the anthem had already started at that point. Only the team captains knew about this last-second attempt.

"When everybody sees the image of me by myself, everybody thinks the team, the Steelers are not behind me, and that's absolutely wrong," Villanueva said. "I made coach (Mike) Tomlin look bad, and that is my fault and my fault only. I made my teammates look bad, and that is my fault and my fault only."

Villanueva called the "national anthem ordeal ... out of control" because of the way it portrayed him as an outcast and the team not supporting the anthem. Villanueva said he understands why teammates would be frustrated with him. ESPN reported that many Steelers were surprised and confused with Villanueva's isolation since he had said in Saturday's players-only meeting he didn't want to bring attention to himself.

"I see that picture of me standing by myself and I'm embarrassed to a degree because intentionally I left my teammates behind," Villanueva said. "It wasn't me stepping forward. I never planned to boycott ... At the end of the day, whether I want it or not, whether it was my intended plan or not, the reason I went out there by myself is the reason it's causing all this distress."

The Steelers' decision to remain in the tunnel during the playing of the national anthem weighed on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who wrote on his website that he wishes the team handled its show of unity differently.

Villanueva will not stop standing for the anthem, and he said his teammates wanted to stand, as well. Captains Roethlisberger and Cam Heyward said the team will be on the sideline during future anthem presentations.

"People die for the flag. There's no way else to put it," Villanueva said. "I wish I could stay at home. I wish we could all play Call of Duty and not have to go to war. But some men, some women sign up for this tough challenge and they have to do it for the flag. When I see a flag on the mission on the shoulder of a soldier, that reminds me that the guy's with me....That's what the flag means to me, that's what the flag means to a lot of veterans. I think my teammates respected this thoroughly, it was just not communicated and the plan did not allow them the chance to go out and support me or maybe go back to the lab and sit five more hours before the game and figure out a plan."

Villanueva's place in the spotlight helped him learn more about a divisive issue that he believes shouldn't be. People should realize taking a knee is not a direct protest of the flag or the anthem, said Villanueva, one of the first critics of Colin Kaepernick's method of protest.

"I've learned that I don't know what it's like to be from Dade County, I don't know what it's like to be from Oakland," Villanueva said. "I can't tell you I know what my teammates have gone through, so I'm not going to pretend like I have the righteous sort of voice to tell you that you should stand up for the national anthem. It's protected by our constitution and our country. It's the freedom of speech. People felt based on the comments the president made, they had to go out and protect and support Colin Kaepernick, and that's completely in their right. But it was not something we were trying to do with the Steelers. We were trying to be unified."

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/2...ne-intentional

I hope all these teams come to their senses and either wait in the locker rooms until after the anthem ceremony like they used to or come out and participate properly in the ceremony with the fans for our nation. But using a paid public televised sporting event to protest our country .... that's a no-go in the United States, and that's not changing. You want to protest racial injustice, Colin, you get your ass on a plane to Ferguson and walk the streets for hours a day for days on end with the real protesters to racial injustice.

John Kelly‏ @GenJohnKelly 1h1 hour ago

Here is my statement end of CNN #FakeNews about what I said...

(click on link, it won't copy and paste, nice statement)

https://twitter.com/genjohnkelly?lang=en