A day after 49ers general manager John Lynch was asked about his views on national anthem protests, head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed the issue and struck a different note.
Shanahan indirectly referenced the recent racial unrest in Charlottesville, Va., that was sparked by a rally of white supremacists. Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett has cited the situation as the reason he plans to sit during the anthem this season.
“I’m not going to tell anyone what to do or not to do,” Shanahan said. “I see stuff on TV also. And things that are going on this country and this world. And I think anybody that sees that stuff and doesn’t get the feeling that they like to do something about it to end that stuff, I think something’s wrong with you. I completely understand why guys want to do stuff and want to speak up.”
Added Shanahan: “I think everyone gets what’s going on to a degree and understands what’s very wrong about all this stuff. And I think everyone wants to do stuff to help. And I think everyone wants to make a change. I’m not going to sit and tell people how to do that. That’s up to them.”
On Wednesday, Lynch said he respected players’ rights to protest, but also expressed concern that it could be “divisive” and hurt team unity.
Here is the full exchange between Shanahan and reporters on potential anthem protests:
If a player of your wants to protest, what is your position on that?
KS: Just to talk to the guy. I’m not going to tell anyone what to do or not to do. I see stuff on TV also. And things that are going on this country and this world. And I think anybody that sees that stuff and doesn’t get the feeling that they like to do something about it to end that stuff, I think something’s wrong with you. I completely understand why guys want to do stuff and want to speak up. There’s also different ways to do it. I know me, personally, I always stand for the flag and do that because it’s something I’ve always done. I see most people do it. And when I’m down there during the national anthem, I’m pretty locked into my job at hand and what’s about to go on. My responsibilities as a coach. My responsibilities in my job. I’m so focused on that, I’m not thinking about much else. For a player, if they see that differently and they want to do something about that, I completely understand their intentions and why. Because I think everyone could agree there’s lots of stuff that’s pretty sad right now.
Have you talked to the team about this?
KS: No, I haven’t. I think everyone gets what’s going on to a degree and understands what’s very wrong about all this stuff. And I think everyone wants to do stuff to help. And I think everyone wants to make a change. I’m not going to sit and tell people how to do that. That’s up to them. That’s why our country is the best country. If someone does decided to do that, I’ll talk to anybody about anything. I’d like to know what our players are thinking, and what’s going on and why they choose to do something, but there’s no need for me to address it until there’s something to talk about.
Would you prefer to know ahead of time?
KS: Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me. It wouldn’t distract me. It’s hard to distract me at the time it would happen. I’m sure after a game I’d get a thousand questions about it and I didn’t even notice during a game. But besides that, it’s just being prepared for questions and things like that. I can totally understand people’s intentions. I would always just want to hear why.
Twitter: @Eric_Branch
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