Hall Of Famer Jim Brown Makes a Bold Statement On NFL Kneeling

Anthem kneelers were quite a topic last season, and this time Jim Brown has something to say.

Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown said he’d never take a knee during the Star-Spangled Banner in his interview before the premiere of HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” Brown sure respects players’ rights to protest, but said that he will always the anthem.

“I am not going to denigrate my flag and I’m going to stand for the national anthem. I’m fighting with all of my strength to make it a better country, but I don’t think that’s the issue. Because what is the top side? Are you not going to stand up? This is our country, man,” Brown said.

The Hall of Famer has always been advocate for civil rights, and now he’s the special adviser for the Cleveland Cavs. He said something similar last year, and expressed full support for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s fight for his rights, but disapproved his method.

“I want to be in his corner, and I do think, ‘God bless him.'” I’m going to give you the real deal: I’m an American. I don’t desecrate my flag and my national anthem. I’m not gonna do anything against the flag and national anthem. I’m going to work within those situations. But this is my country, and I’ll work out the problems, but I’ll do it in an intelligent manner,” Brown said last year.

Anthem kneeling is still a significant issue for the National Football League, and the NFL Players’ Association is trying to find an amenable resolution. The league first adopted a rule that allows players to stay in the locker room, but decided to punish teams whose players will go on and take a knee on the field.

Let’s see what happens this season. It will be tough.