Baker Mayfield Changes Stance On Kneeling During National Anthem

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Baker Mayfield, National Anthem, Kneel
Baker Mayfield changed his stance on kneeling during the National Anthem, prior to Sunday's season opener.

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield no longer plans to kneel for the National Anthem during the team's season opener, reneging on a decision he made earlier in the offseason.

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"After reading many letters and messages... I have been showed that a gesture such as kneeling will only create more division or discussion about the gesture, rather than be a solution towards our country's problem at hand," Mayfield wrote on Twitter, Saturday. "With that being said, I am choosing to stand for both anthems to show respect, love, and unity to everybody involved."

Mayfield says he still respects the decision of any of his teammates who choose to kneel during the Anthem: "I will respect all of my teammates no matter their decision. We have had meaningful discussions on what true change looks like, and that change takes all of us being together. My heart is even more passionate than it was months ago, due to the fact that we are not close to being where our country needs to be. I love this country, but these challenges and adversity are an opportunity for much needed change for issues that have been going on for far too long. It is going to come down to how we handle adversity and taking advantage of our opportunities."

Prior to Saturday, Mayfield has been adamant about standing for the Anthem. On August 14 he explained why he planned to kneel: "There's a human rights issue that has been going on for a long time, and I believe in that. It's nothing against military or anybody who served. Anybody that knows my history knows that I completely support military and the people that serve our country for the right reasons and do it for justice."

The Browns will play the Ravens at 1:00 PM, Sunday.

[Via]


About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.
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