The Patriot Post® · Irony Alert: MLB Anthem Kneeler Arrested
Late into the regular season, Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell decided to join the “movement” spurred by former NFL quarterback and apparent protégé Colin Kaepernick by kneeling for the national anthem. As Maxwell explained when he began his stunt on Sept. 23, “My kneeling is what’s getting the attention, and I’m kneeling for the people who don’t have a voice. This goes beyond the black and Hispanic communities because right now we have a racial divide that’s being practiced from the highest power we have in this country saying it’s basically OK to treat people differently. I’m kneeling for a cause but I’m in no way disrespecting my country or my flag.”
A Sports Illustrated article later stated that “Maxwell has been the target of racial slurs and threats of violence” in the aftermath of his kneeling. That may or may not be true, but Maxwell is certainly no stand-up guy and can even be accused of perpetrating the very things he supposedly despises. In Huntsville, Alabama — his hometown — someone is accusing Maxwell of “outright lying” over allegations of discrimination.
According to Fox News, “Maxwell, 26, claimed [last] week that a waiter … refused him service after identifying him as the MLB player who took the knee during ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ last month — only the waiter has a very different version of events and he told Fox News that was far from what went down.” In fact, the waiter says his refusal to serve alcohol to Maxwell’s friend due to an expired ID is what prompted the bogus story. And his manager is backing up the server’s version of events.
And there’s now yet another reason to question Maxwell’s allegations. In a terrible and telling display of his true character, Maxwell was arrested over the weekend for brandishing a weapon. According to another Fox News report, he “pointed a gun at a female food delivery person in Scottsdale, Ariz. Scottsdale police said officers went to Maxwell’s home Saturday night after getting a call about a person with a gun. Maxwell was booked on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct.”
And this is why nobody takes athletes’ social activism seriously — because a disproportionate number of them are uncivil and need to practice what they preach. How many athletes, particularly in the NFL, can be accused of sexual abuse and violence? Too many. And too many also have absolutely zero tolerance for authority. For example, the Associated Press reports, “All but 10 members of the Houston Texans took a knee during the national anthem Sunday, as the vast majority of the team protested the owner’s ‘inmates running the prison’ comment.” Ironically, the one thing you won’t see is anthem kneelers protesting the actions that make some of them inmates.