College Football Player Cut From Team For Kneeling During National Anthem

A football player for Division III Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, was cut from his team for kneeling during the national anthem. Football players protesting during the national anthem has become a hot-button issue nationally and a favorite tweet topic of President Donald Trump.

Gyree Durante, a sophomore backup quarterback, was cut for violating a team rule that players would kneel during the coin toss to show unity and stand during the national anthem, according to the Associated Press Wednesday. Durante kneeled during the anthem before a game on Saturday.

“I was just taught you fight for what you believe in and you don’t bow to anyone,” said Durante to WCAU, a Philadelphia NBC News affiliate. “I believe heavily in this. So I decided to fight for it.”

A spokesperson for the college told WCAU that kneeling during the coin toss and standing during the anthem was a decision made by the team to respect differing points of views.

“This action, which was supported by the coaching staff, was created as an expression of team unity and out of the mutual respect team members have for one another and the value they place on their differences,” the college said in a statement. “It was established as a way to find common ground in a world with many differing views.”

The school said players understood there would be consequences for disobeying the rule.

“[I was] taught you fight for what you believe in and you don’t bow to anyone,” said Durante to the Associated Press.

The college said that Durante agreed to stand during the anthem and that the move was not known beforehand.

“We trusted him throughout the week, after time and time again he told us he would stand,” said Josh Powell, a former teammate, to WCAU. “When you can’t have a player on a team that you can trust, he’s got to go.”

It is unclear what Durante was kneeling for. The recent movement of kneeling during the national anthem in protest began with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was protesting racial inequality and police brutality. The movement was small until it was brought to the forefront by Trump. Trump said that he would like NFL owners to fire kneeling players in a campaign speech last month and the topic has since been something he tweets about frequently.

Last week Vice President Mike Pence made a stunt of leaving an Indianapolis Colts game when players on the opposing team, the San Francisco 49ers, kneeled during the anthem. Trump tweeted that Pence left at his behest.

The NFL said it would look into the issue after Trump has repeatedly bashed the league and told people to boycott it. Trump tweeted Wednesday morning thanking NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for demanding players stand during the national anthem. The NFL clarified that Trump’s tweet is inaccurate. Goodell said players should stand, and that the league is still discussing the matter.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that he would bench players that kneel during the anthem.