A conservative black organization is calling the National Football League to task for surrendering to players' demands to disrespect the American flag.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released a video last week supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Goodell said, "We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the NFL, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter."
Horace Cooper, a former constitutional law professor and a co-chairman for the Project 21 Black Leadership Network, says nothing justifies disrespecting the flag.
"For anyone, whether it's Colin Kaepernick, whether it's an NFL player broadly or the official policy of the NFL, to disrespect that -- shame on them," he responds. "There has been nothing that has occurred in the wake of George Floyd's death that justifies disrespecting our country, disrespecting our flag, or disrespecting our national anthem."
CooperAnd Cooper is disappointed that New Orleans Saints star quarterback Drew Brees buckled to pressure and apologized after initially issuing a statement defending the flag and anthem.
"When individuals stand up, they can often find themselves subject to an onslaught of hate," he continues. "It is not the epicenter of hate. And so when our leaders, even people like Drew Brees, stand initially to defend our country, they find that there's a harsh element on Twitter that comes out and attacks them."
Cooper says this is the problem in America.