Count Baker Mayfield among the NFL players who plan to take a knee during the national anthem in the upcoming season.
The topic of kneeling was brought back to the forefront of discussion in the sports world in wake of recent events, most notably the death of George Floyd, the protests that followed and the controversial remarks made by Drew Brees. It remains to be seen just how many players take a knee when the 2020 season commences, but if comments from seasoned veterans like Adrian Peterson are any indication, the number could be fairly high.
Mayfield fully intends to kneel during the anthem. The Browns quarterback acknowledged as much during a recent exchange with a Browns fan on Instagram.
Browns’ QB Baker Mayfield responding to a fan on IG: pic.twitter.com/JCgvE4EmlW
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 13, 2020
Not long after Mayfield’s comment began to make the rounds, the 25-year-old explained his decision for his Instagram story.
“Everybody so upset about my comment doesn’t understand the reasoning behind kneeling in the first place,” Mayfield wrote, per ABC News 5 Cleveland. “Nate (Boyer) and Kap (Colin Kaepernick) came to an agreement that kneeling was the most respectful way to support our military while also standing up for equality.
“I have the utmost respect for our military, cops, and people that serve OUR country. It’s about equality and everybody being treated the same because we are all human. It’s been ignored for too long and that is my fault as well for not becoming more educated and staying silent.
“If I lose fans, that’s OK. I’ve always spoken my mind. And that’s from the heart.”
