The Navy SEALs will cut support for Florida’s National Navy SEAL Museum after video surfaced showing K-9 dogs attacking a man who was wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey.
The Navy Times reported on Tuesday that Rear Adm. Collin Green, who leads the Naval Special Warfare Command, said in an email to his force Monday night that the relationship between the SEALs and the nonprofit museum would resume only when he is “convinced that they have made the necessary changes to ensure this type of behavior does not happen again.”
“Each and every one of us serves to protect our fellow Americans – ALL Americans. Even the perception that our commitment to serving the men and women of this nation is applied unevenly is destructive,” Green said. “While the museum is an independent non-profit organization and the participants were contracted employees from outside the DoD, in many ways, these facts are irrelevant.”
The Navy began investigating the incident after footage of the event, which happened last year at the museum in St. Lucie, went viral over the weekend. The Navy said that so far, the investigation has found that none of the people seen in the footage were active duty at the time.
In one of the videos, four dogs can be seen attacking a man wearing protective padding and the No. 7 jersey of Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback.
Kaepernick has been a free agent since 2017. He is best known for launching a movement of athletes taking a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice, a move that has been criticized by some, including President Trump.
“We have been inextricably linked to this organization that represents our history,” said Green. “We may not have contributed to the misperception in this case, but we suffer from it and will not allow it to continue.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the museum for comment.
In another video, after “Navy SEALs and Navy SEAL dogs take down Colin Kaepernick for not standing during National Anthem,” he moans something like, “Oh man, I will stand” #BecauseFlorida https://t.co/uZ3ervZguB pic.twitter.com/6vi1uCGIt5
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) August 2, 2020
