ANTI-WAR ABSENCE
Missing Noah causes stir at West Point
All he is saying is give peace a chance. In a move based around his anti-war beliefs, Joakim Noah skipped the annual dinner with Army cadets Thursday night at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He also missed a speech from a retired Army colonel, saying afterwards it wasn’t about making a statement or launching a protest. Noah’s main objection to participating was feeling uncomfortable in a place that trains young soldiers to kill. “It’s hard for me a little bit. I have a lot of respect for the kids who are out here fighting. But it’s hard for me to understand why we have to go to war, why kids have to kill kids around the world,” Noah said. “So I have mixed feelings about being here. I’m very proud of this country. I love America but I just don’t understand kids killing kids around the world.” Predictably, the U.S. Military Academy wasn’t happy. In a statement released to the Daily News, Lt. Col. Christopher Kasker, a spokesman for West Point, said the school was “disappointed” by Noah’s “inappropriate” action. “The U.S. Military Academy at West Point develops leaders of character for the defense of our Nation. We are disappointed and feel Mr. Noah’s choice of West Point to make a statement is inappropriate because of the great sacrifice that has originated from this institution over our Nation’s history.”
The Knicks are holding camp at West Point for a third straight year, but this is a first for Noah, who signed a $72 million deal over the summer. The 31-year-old, who holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and France, said he hasn’t talked with the cadets on campus and his previous interactions with them are “usually very sad.”
About eight hours after Noah’s comments to the media – and in a series of tweets Friday night that dripped of damage control — Knick PR sent out photos of Noah conversing with young cadets on the basketball court. These interactions occurred after Friday evening’s practice, or about 24 hours after Noah skipped out on the dinner.
“I appreciate all that you do for us. Re- spect!” read one caption, although it’s unclear if those were Noah’s words.
According to coach Jeff Hornacek, Noah had expressed his desire to miss the team functions Thursday night and was the only player who did not attend.
“That’s his right. He wants to be a part of the team group and do everything the team is doing. He just didn’t feel comfortable,” Hornacek said. “We’re not going to pressure him into doing that.”
Hornacek added that he understands Noah’s view, which the center stated was neither anti-American nor anti-troops. Noah has long taken a hard stance against guns in the U.S., using his foundation, the Noah’s Arc Foundation, for anti-violence initiatives.
“I’m not anti-troops. It’s just not comfortable for me to see kids going to war and coming back having seen what they’ve seen and done what they’ve done. It’s sad for me. It’s sad for me. They’re just sent out for things that are – I don’t really want to get into it, to be honest with you. It’s just hard for me.”
Noah added that he’s put off by nationalistic pride as a whole, which left him unhappy while briefly playing for the French national team. He quit after his first major international tournament. “I’m not a very patriotic person, to be honest,” Noah said. “I don’t understand the whole flags, supporting flags. I’m more into supporting people.”
With other athletes launching protests against police brutality – most notably Colin Kaepernick – Noah insisted this wasn’t about making a public statement. He only revealed his thoughts after being quizzed by the media about the dinner. Noah is open to doing something different with his teammates, however, who’ve said they plan on taking a unified action in the face of social unrest.
“I think there’s a lot of topics that definitely need to be more than addressed. I think it’s a very important time right now,” he said. “I think it’s great athletes are taking a stand. But it has to be about more than that. This country’s out of control. Kids killing kids. People are talking about the anthem but that’s not the point. There are things that need to be fixed.
“I think there has to be more investment in the communities,” he added. “These after-school programs are very important. There has to be more laws against gun control. Kids are getting access to automatic weapons. This is not normal. It’s not normal and I know as soon as you talk about guns, people start looking at you crazy and stuff. But to me when you see the amount of school shootings and the accessibility of guns around the country and I see nothing being done about it, I really question our leadership.”