Flag heroMonday bothered byKaepernick’s stance
Rick Monday still has the flag. He asked for it the day after he snatched it from two guys who had run on the field at Dodger Stadium and tried to burn it during a game April 25, 1976. Monday, the Cubs’ center fielder that day, thinks of that when he sees Colin Kaepernick and other athletes sit or kneel during the national anthem in protest.
“My thoughts have not changed from the time I was raised to that moment in 1976 here when those two guys were trying to ignite the American flag and disrespect those that have stood up for us and represent the rights and freedoms that all of us have,” said Monday, now a Dodgers broadcaster. “Someone asked me about the football player. My concern is not with him sitting down. My concern is what’s he going to do once he stands up.” Monday’s wife, Barbaralee, has taken the flag her husband saved on fundraising tours to more than a dozen states in support of veterans issues.
“The irony of it is that the very symbol that those guys were trying to desecrate still has a life,” Monday said. “She’s raised a great deal of money for military charities. It’s been a very positive influence and something we’re very proud of.”
Asked about the possible value in the national conversation Kaepernick has sparked, Monday said he has not followed that part of the issue.
“It irritates me to begin with,” he said. “For me, it disrespects everyone who has served in this country of ours. I cannot understand the argument.”