College QB gets cut for kneeling during national anthem
An Albright College quarterback has been cut from the team after he decided to kneel in protest during the national anthem.
According to a statement released by the school to ABC6, the team had collectively decided to kneel during the coin toss and stand during the anthem as an act of unity, but one player elected to remain kneeling.
[RELATED: UNM prez: players meant ‘no disrespect’ by kneeling for anthem]
Quarterback Gyree Durante, mimicking the anthem protests sweeping across the NFL, explained that he was “taught you fight for what you believe in and you don’t bow to anyone.”
“At some point in life, there’s going to be a time when you’ve got to take a stand,” Durante told NBC10. “For me it just happened to be on Saturday afternoon.”
While some of Durante’s teammates expressed that they understood where he was coming from, they ultimately believe he broke the team’s trust because he had previously assured them that he would stand alongside them.
“We trusted him throughout the week, after time and time again he told us he would stand,” said former teammate Josh Powell. “When you can’t have a player on a team that you can trust, he’s got to go.”
The school notes in its statement that although it celebrates and values “the rights of all students and community members to express their thoughts and opinions civilly,” Durante knew that “there may be consequences for those who choose not to support the team.”
[RELATED: College coaches say they would ‘stand there proud’ for anthem]
“It was established as a way to find common ground in a world with many differing views,” the statement added in reference to the team-wide decision to stand for the anthem. “One football player, unbeknownst to the coach and the team, chose not to support the decision of the leadership council and team.”
“He has been dismissed from the team, but remains a valued member of the Albright College student body,” the statement concludes.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @AGockowski
