PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) - Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt has reinforced his stance on kneeling for the National Anthem and adds he doesn’t believe this issue will divide the team.
Speaking during a zoom call on Wednesday Tuitt said his choice to stand for the anthem is a personal choice and he will support Black Lives Matter and other social justice issues in other way.
“That’s just how I feel morally on the subject at hand, that’s just my beliefs and what I want to do, we haven’t got together as a team yet to talk about it,” said Tuitt.
Tuitt added he is “very confident” that kneeling for the anthem won’t be an issue for the team.
The issue has once again come to the surface after African American George Floyd was killed while in police custody in May.
Four years ago, then San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat on a bench during the National Anthem and later said, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.”
After speaking with a Green Beret Kaepernick changed his protest to taking a knee out of respect for the United States military.
The NFL says they now support players speaking out and will allow players to put decals on the back of their helmets of the names or initials of victims of systemic racism.