SplashNews
Chris Brown Sits Out National Anthem on 9/11
Chris Brown makes a statement.
Breezy was among those who opted not to stand for the national anthem at Power 106’s 5th Annual Celebrity Basketball Game in Los Angeles on Sunday (Sept. 11), the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
Before performing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Tank addressed those in attendance. “I understand everybody’s exercising their right to stand or sit and exercising their right to freedom and justice,” he said. “But in the wake of 9/11, please understand the fact that real men, women, and children lost their lives for this very thing that we’re able to stand for today.” Meanwhile, Brown and a few others sat in protest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1DQygq2bbA
It’s the same demonstration that has garnered both praise and criticism for NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers. He’s said that he’s sitting out or taking a knee during the anthem this year as a statement on police brutality and racial profiling.
“Once again, I’m not anti-American,” Kaepernick has said. “I love America. I love people. That’s why I’m doing this. I want to help make America better. I think having these conversations helps everybody have a better understanding of where everybody is coming from.”
Brown isn’t the only one who’s been inspired by Kaepernick’s act. This weekend, on the NFL’s first weekend of regular season play, several players around the league joined in solidarity. Some knelt while others put a right fist in the air. High school football players have also been doing the same, following in Kaepernick’s footsteps.
Brown hasn’t addressed the anthem demonstration publicly. However, he shared a screenshot of TMZ’s article about the controversy with the caption: “Stay classy!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKPNcZBgEKF/
TMZ also published another story about the celebrity game. Releasing a video, the site reported on a verbal altercation between Breezy and a fan that became heated enough to require law enforcement interference.
Los Angeles radio station Power 106, the hosts of the Celebrity Basketball Game, said they are in support of Brown’s actions given that he was yelling at a fan who was in a part of the arena he wasn’t supposed to be in.