Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt could be one of the newcomers to kneeling during the national anthem when the 2020 NFL season kicks off.
A Twitter user opined that the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year won’t be a part of the protests during the national anthem by stating, “Pretty sure you won’t see @JJWatt taking a knee…” followed by three American flag emojis.
Watt replied at high noon Central Time Saturday that the Twitter user doesn’t represent his views and that Watt’s own perception of the kneeling during the national anthem isn’t about disrespecting the flag or the American military.
A) don’t speak for me
B) if you still think it’s about disrespecting the flag or our military, you clearly haven’t been listening https://t.co/tnsEq5D9WC
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) June 13, 2020
Community outreach has been near to Watt’s heart since he entered the league. In 2017, Watt won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his efforts in fundraising over $33 million for south Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.
The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police on May 25 sparked outrage across the country, but also stirred Watt.
“I’ve seen the video and I think it’s disgusting,” Watt told reporters on May 27. “I think that there’s no explanation for it, to me it doesn’t make any sense. I just don’t see how a man in handcuffs on the ground, who is clearly detained and clearly in distress, I don’t understand how that situation can’t be remedied in a way that doesn’t end in his death. I think that it needs to be addressed strongly, obviously, and I just don’t see how that situation makes any sense whatsoever, and I think that anybody who saw the video, anybody who — I don’t know how you can defend it. I mean, it’s terrible. It’s extremely difficult to watch and it’s upsetting.”
In a similar vein, Texans safety Justin Reid reiterated in an interview with the Houston Chronicle that the kneeling during the national anthem relates to police brutality more so than a protest against the United States.
“We’re not distracted from the issue we’re trying to pay attention to, which is police brutality,” Reid said. “It isn’t exclusive to only African Americans. It happens to all races: black, white, Hispanic, Asian. There’s just a tendency that it happens more to African-Americans. This is a real thing; it’s just been taboo. It’s finally being talked about. People are speaking up, and I think that’s huge. I think the next step for us is turning that raw energy into action, into changes of the structure of society, the structure of the police and their behavior, their accountability.”
Texans coach and general manager said he would be all for kneeling with players. If Watt is one of those players, it adds even more unity to the cause.