The NHL’s first player to kneel during the national anthem said he has one regret for his act of protest over the weekend.
Matt Dumba, who is from Canada and plays for the Minnesota Wild, knelt during “The Star-Spangled Banner” but stood during a rendition of “O, Canada” before a game on Saturday. He addressed criticisms he received for the move this week, saying he regrets not kneeling during the Canadian anthem.
“There needs to be a lot of light that has to be shed on what is happening in Canada and the oppression First Nations have felt for hundreds of years,” he said during a press call Sunday. “I have First Nations and Aboriginal families that have lived it, and I was disappointed looking back on it.”
Dumba added that he will no longer kneel in protest but will rather raise his hand in a fist for both anthems.
“In the moment it just happened like that … for the rest of the time throughout playoffs and the qualifiers, I’ll be raising my fist for both national anthems, something that I can stay consistent through. Talking with [teammate J.T. Brown], if you’re not on that starting lineup you might be on the bench and if I take a knee on the bench you might not see me,” he said.
Dumba claimed he didn’t mean to be disrespectful when he knelt but wants to bring awareness to racial inequality.
“I know why I knelt and it wasn’t a sign of disrespect by any means,” Dumba said. “It was to shed light on the people who’ve lived through injustice and oppression, especially in my home state of Minnesota.”
The 26-year-old player also delivered a speech before he knelt on Saturday, saying “racism is everywhere” and calling for change within the league.
“For those unaffected by systemic racism, or unaware, I’m sure that some of you believe this topic has garnered too much attention during the last couple of months. But let me assure you, it has not,” he said. “I know first-hand, as a minority playing of the great game of hockey, the unexplainable and difficult challenges that come with it.”
Kneeling during the national anthem began to catch on in 2016 after former NFL player Colin Kaepernick started doing it to protest police brutality and systemic racism in the United States. Kneeling during the national anthem has regained momentum in 2020 following the death of George Floyd, which sparked protests and riots across the country to end police brutality and racism.
