It sounds like the Iowa Hawkeyes might kneel during the national anthem this upcoming football season.
Sophomore defensive back Kaevon Merriweather tweeted Monday afternoon a statement amid chaos consuming the program, and said in part, “If you can not support us right now with this movement and with our team taking a knee during the national anthem, DO NOT support us during the football season.” (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
You can read his entire statement.
If you think you could possibly call yourself an Iowa Football fan and you can not agree with what I said and what this team is standing on. Then stop calling yourself a fan, IMMEDIATELY‼️ BECAUSE I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT WE DO NOT CARE‼️???????? pic.twitter.com/DgYFY56ojv
— Kaevon Merriweather (@Kaevon02) June 8, 2020
The tweet from Merriweather comes after riots and protests spread across America after the death of George Floyd. On top of that, Iowa’s program has been falling apart ever since strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle was accused of racially insensitive behavior.
Doyle has since been placed on leave pending an investigation.
This is a defining moment for the Iowa Hawkeye Football program: pic.twitter.com/ckEH39QVki
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) June 6, 2020
Did you all want chaos during the college football season? Well, it looks like we’ve got it. Now, it’s worth noting the national anthem in college football is handled differently than the NFL.
There’s nothing that forces the schools to have the players on the field, and teams have stayed in the locker room before.
According to 247Sports, the team hasn’t made a decision on whether or not to kneel, but I’d say from Merriweather’s tweet that their intentions seem clear.
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You think NFL fans were upset when Colin Kaepernick and other plays kneeled for the national anthem? Folks, that will pale in comparison to the reaction you’ll see from college football fans if college teams start taking knees.
The majority of college football fans live in the southern and the midwestern parts of America. They don’t agree with kneeling at all.
Highlight: @readdanwrite asks @drewbrees what the star NFL quarterback thinks about “players kneeling again when the NFL season starts.”@drewbrees: “I will never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.”
Full exchange: pic.twitter.com/MpCkFyOMed
— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) June 3, 2020
Bang up job, guys! Just incredible. Not only are we going to have massive issues in the NFL, but it now also looks like we’re going to get the same in college football.
Also, it’s very possible to support black people and support standing for the national anthem. Believe it or not, you don’t just have to pick one.
— Chris Doyle (@coach_Doyle) June 7, 2020
We’ll see what happens during the season, but it sounds like the Hawkeyes are on the brink of utter disaster.