The following letter was sent to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Sept. 10:
I am writing today to inform you that I called Direct TV this morning to cancel my “Sunday Ticket.” I cannot and will not spend $300 of my hard-earned money to support the likes of these ungrateful, uneducated prima donnas.
I turn on sports to forget about all the bad in the world. I don’t need to see the St. Louis Rams play out a repeat of the “hands up, don’t shoot,” which was proven to have actually never happened, or to be made to watch Mr. Kaepernick or Mr. Marshall disrespect our country and our military by not standing to honor the fallen during the playing of our national anthem.
I think there are a few countries that would have you shot or, at the very least, jailed for that action. But the action or projected action of an entire team, namely the Seattle Seahawks, planning to sit out or kneel down or do whatever it is that they are planning on doing this weekend was just too much for me.
I love football but I absolutely refuse to support an entity which disrespects our country, military and yes, the police! I was extremely upset when you would not allow the Cowboys to wear a patch in honor of five police officers who had been gunned down and murdered in cold blood for just one pre-season game, but yet, you allow these idiots to make their protests while acting as representatives of the NFL. Americans have given their lives so that these rich “oppressed” athletes can act like idiots, or sit, as it may be, like idiots.
As far as freedom of speech goes, they absolutely do have that right, but take it on the liberal-left-leaning talk shows, not while I’m trying to forget about the day-to-day grind and just enjoy a game to get away from it all.
There are stories every day where people are fired because of things that were said or put out on social media while at work or as a representative of a particular company. I sign a corporate compliance form each year which includes wording to the nature of me being at risk of discipline or even termination for things said or done while actively doing my job or while done during a time where my job is identified openly.
These idiots are absolutely disgracing the NFL and our country. Their actions, just by the timing and place of their protest, mean that they are carrying out their protest and actions as a representative of the NFL.
The league fines players for things like excessive celebrations or uniform infractions but supposedly has no control over this. In doing some research, I found that your personal conduct policy states that those who represent the NFL “must strive to conduct ourselves in ways that favorably reflect on ourselves, our teams, the communities we represent, and the NFL … , are all held to a higher standard and must conduct ourselves in a way that is responsible and promotes the values of the NFL … .”
I may be one of just a few who choose to do this but I cannot consciously continue to support your business while you allow your “oppressed” personnel to act in such a derogatory and demeaning manner towards the men and women who protect our communities and our country. These actions and your inactions will continue to alienate your fan base.
Lew Messick-Klensch
Milford