As the football world waits to witness the impact of President Trump’s challenge to NFL players regarding the national anthem protests, a Major League Baseball player has engaged in a protest during the national anthem for the first time.
Via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell decided to kneel for the national anthem. He did so with his hand on his heart and facing the flag.
Maxwell is reacting to the comments of President Trump, who focused initially on the NFL but then targeted all professional athletes on Twitter.
“Don’t be surprised if you start seeing athletes kneeling in other sports now!! Comments like that coming from our president. WOW!” Maxwell said on Twitter. “This now has gone from just a Black Lives Matter topic to just complete inequality of any man or woman that wants to stand for their rights!”
The 26-year-old Maxwell was born at a military installation in Germany, where his father served in the Army.