ROH News: Flip Gordon gives his take on NFL players taking a knee during the National Anthem
What's the story?
ROH wrestler Flip Gordon recently was involved in a heated Twitter battle when he gave his opinion about NFL players taking a knee during the national anthem, their way of protesting against racially motivated police brutality.
The Huffington Post reported on his reaction to the Twitter explosion, and his clarification about the opinions that he expressed there.
In case you didn't know...
Colin Kaepernick, the NFL quarterback started a protest against racially motivated Police brutality by taking a knee during the National Anthem. The protest was joined by more and more players and got out of hand when President Donald Trump offered his opinion on the matter.
Since then, more teams have joined in, and the protests have become internationally known.
WWE Superstar Triple H also offered his opinion on the protests when asked what he would do if WWE stars decided to start taking the knee during the protests. He said that while he himself would stand during the National Anthem, he would respect everyone's first amendment rights.
Also Read: Triple H offers his opinion on the NFL protests
The heart of the matter
Flip Gordon offered an explanation of the Twitter battle he was involved in, on The Arm Drag Takedown's Podcast with Pollo Del Mar. On the podcast, Gordon admitted that he generally sidestepped political discussions, but he said that while he was a "100-percent behind" the protest and the desire to do something for social justice, he did not agree with the timing of the protest of the NFL players.
“I’m behind [protesting] 100-percent; what I don’t agree with is the time they are protesting it.”
He mentioned that he was "hurt" by the protests taking place during the National Anthem. He offered a suggestion as to how the players could have done it differently by protesting at any time other than the National Anthem.
“Whether it be before the game, before the National Anthem, after the National Anthem, half-time, during the quarter or not showing up to play the game at all — saying, ‘I’m not going to play until these issues are resolved’."
Flip also addressed the controversy surrounding the Twitter battle he was involved in when he aired his opinions on Twitter saying he found the protests 'disrespectful'.
He confessed that things had gotten out of hand, and his feelings becoming involved in the argument did not help the matter at all. The incident received a lot of attention and Flip may have a lost a few fans due to it.
The matter is behind him now though, and he took part in ROH's Global Wars over the weekend.
What's next?
Gordon took part in the ROH Global Wars event and came away with an extremely good match against Will Ospreay. He will now look to focus more on wrestling and step away from political conversations once again.
Author's take
The NFL protests are a delicate situation, with a lot of people's feelings being involved in the matter. Everyone may have strong opinions about it, but getting into heated conversations on Twitter will not do anyone any good.
Regardless of his political opinions, Flip Gordon is an excellent performer inside the ring, and his talents showcased during Global Wars only further prove that.