Stephen A. Smith Says John Tortorella Should Be Stripped Of His Title As Coach Of Team USA
I’ve been on the record talking about how if the NFL wanted to insist that people stand for the national anthem or whatever, it is perfectly within their right to do so. They are a private industry. They are looking for millions upon millions of Americans to patronize their product. I understand that. If the NBA were to do such a thing, which they do, I understand it. You’re a private industry. But when you talk Team USA–that’s the Red, White, and Blue. That’s the United States of America, alright? That’s not private entities or anything like that. That’s the United States of America. So think about that for a second. You have the United States Constitution. The First Amendment specifically stipulates the freedom of speech. This is what Colin Kaepernick chose to do. You are saying that if he chose to exercise his right as an American citizen, you, representing the United States would then turn around and punish him for the very right this country has bestowed upon its citizens? If that is not un-American, I don’t know what is. So as far as I’m concerned, the problem is not with Colin Kaepernick here. It is with John Tortorella who should be stripped of his title as coach of Team USA unless he changes his stance. He has absolutely, unequivocally no right whatsoever to bench any of his players who elects to exercise their first amendment rights because when you are a member of Team USA, you are proudly representing the Red White and Blue and all that is stands for. Not just the parts that you like.
Well, well, well. Look who woke up this morning and decided to get a little racist on us. So let me get this straight. It’s okay for the NFL to make their players stand up for the national anthem. It’s okay for the NBA to make their players stand up for the national anthem. But when it’s a bunch of white boys playing ice hockey, that’s where you draw the line? Hmmmm. Seems a little fishy to me. I don’t want to automatically go with the race card here but Stephen A. Smith has forced my hand. And to see this grotesque display of blatant racism coming from ESPN just disgusts me, if we’re being perfectly honest.
And listen. I get it. I’m sick of national anthem talk too. I don’t hate Colin Kaepernick for his decision to sit during the anthem. But I do hate his fucking guts for creating this never-ending conversation that just goes round and round and round. I’m sick of it. You’re sick of it. We’re all sick of it. But I can’t just idly stand by and listen to Stephen A. Smith run his mouth like this without going to war for Torts. The man has forced his players to block too many shots to have his name and job security besmirched like that on First Take by some dingus who wouldn’t know a blue line from a clothes line. And the craziest part about this whole ordeal is that it should be a non-story. John Tortorella didn’t even have to say that he’d bench any player who doesn’t stand for the anthem. Why? Well because they’re hockey players. And if there’s one thing that hockey players love more than Molson and sleeping with each other’s wives, it’s playing for their country. Here’s a photo of hockey players during the national anthem.
You think any hockey player would have opted out of playing in the Olympics just because of a little Zika scare? Hell no. Because playing for their country is more important to them than their health. Wish I could say the same for basketball players and golfers, but that’s clearly not the case. So no hockey player would sit on the bench during the national anthem to begin with, yet Linda Cohn baited Torts into giving this quote because ESPN has an agenda against hockey (It’s why they decided to put the majority of the World Cup games on ESPN2 instead of ESPN). So now the Stephen A Smiths of the world get to go around calling John Tortorella un-American as if he didn’t just bring in a fucking Army representative to practice today.
That’s right, bitches. Team USA is getting ready for the World Cup by getting an ass load of motivation from the Troops. Scared yet, Canada? That’s what I thought. But back to the point here. Stephen A. Smith is a clown. Grass is green and the sky is blue. All I’m saying is that ESPN better get some goddamn enforcers ready because this fool needs to be put in his place.
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