In its bid to skirt the issue of professional football players and coaches protesting America at the beginning of games, the NFL might just stop playing the National Anthem, warns former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
In a note to supporters, the author of the recently-released book “Understanding Trump,” said, “My fear is that the NFL will succumb to pressure and try to sidestep the problem by no longer performing the National Anthem before games.” He added, “This would be the worst path to take.”
Teams last weekend struggled with the new issue pushed into the public arena by President Trump with the confusion displayed best by one team, the Dallas Cowboys, who kneeled then stood for the presentation of the flag.
Gingrich said that the debate is a perfect time for a national talk on patriotism:
“As a nation, we need to have a serious debate: Will we renew our patriotism and respect our shared history, or will we allow our American institutions to decay? Are we going to ignore our traditions out of fear of ridicule from the Left, or are we going to proudly continue to be ‘the land of the free and the home of the brave?'”
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
