Tennessee Titans wide receiver Rishard Matthews would rather retire from the NFL than be forced to stand for the national anthem.
Last night on twitter, Matthews was asked by a local Nashville producer, Matt Parker, if he would continue to remain in the locker room during the anthem if the NFL went ahead with a rule requiring players to stand for the anthem.
In the since-deleted tweet, Matthews replied, "No, I will be done playing football."
According to Yahoo Sports, Matthews' father and half-brother both served in the Marines. His dad served for 23 years and his half-brother Christopher Ruiz died in a plane crash in Afghanistan in 2015 while working as a private defense contractor. Matthews has said, per Yahoo, it’s possible to be pro-military while bringing attention to social issues with protest.
Although, some people, including our President, still can't seem to grasp that concept.
Earlier this week NFL commissioner sent out a memo to all 32 teams today addressing the issue of the national anthem before games. In the memo, obtained by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, Goodell stated that the league believes "that everyone should stand for the National Anthem," and that "the controversy over the Anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues."
NFL chief spokesman Joe Lockhart told reporters (Via Reuters),
“Everyone at this point is frustrated by the situation,” Lockhart said. “The commissioner and the owners do want the players to stand. We think it is an important part of the game.”
The league will reportedly discuss a rule that would require players to stand for the national anthem, something that President Trump suggested earlier in the season.