Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield says he will be taking a knee during the National Anthem this season. When a fan asked Mayfield if he would kneel, Mayfield responded with his stance.
Andy Lyons / Getty Images
"Please tell Browns fans you’re not going to be kneeling this season," the fan commented on Instagram.
"Pull your head out. I absolutely am," Mayfield responded.
Later, Mayfield posted a lengthy statement regarding the situation on his IG Story.
"Everybody so upset about my comment doesn't understand the reasoning behind kneeling in the first place... Nate and Kap came to an agreement that kneeling was the most respectful way to support our military while also standing up for equality," Mayfield wrote. "I have the utmost respect for our military, cops, and people that serve OUR country. It's about equality and everybody being treated the same because we are all human. It's been ignored for too long and that is my fault as well for not becoming more educated and staying silent.
"If I lose fans, that's okay. I've always spoken my mind. And that's from the heart," he added.
Texans Head Coach Bill O'Brien recently said that he will also kneel during the anthem with his players.
[Via]
Stephen A. Smith Goes On Epic Bill O’Brien Texans Rant
Stephen A. Smith had some harsh words for the Houston Texans head coach and general manager.
Stephen A. Smith has been known to speak his mind on topics that he is passionate about. When it comes to people who are bad at their jobs, Smith shows absolutely no mercy. Today on First Take, that's exactly what he did while talking about the most recent Houston Texans trade. Of course, they just picked up Brandin Cooks from the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a second-round pick. Many feel like this is a bad deal considering they just lost DeAndre Hopkins.
Bill O'Brien is the coach and GM of the team and many feel as though he is doing a horrible job in both positions. Smith, on the other hand, believes O'Brien is an okay coach although he should be fired as the general manager immediately. In the clip below, Smith lists all of the bad moves O'Brien has made over the last little while.
The Texans will certainly be one of the more interesting teams in the league this upcoming season especially with DeShaun Watson at the quarterback position. However, their personnel moves on offense could lead to a team that isn't as potent while on the attacking side of the football.
What do you think of O'Brien's moves? Should he be ousted as the GM and stick to coaching?
DeAndre Hopkins Responds To Michael Irvin’s Inflammatory Comments
DeAndre Hopkins defends his former coach Bill O'Brien following Irvin's remarks: "This is being blown way out of proportion."
NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin made an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" on Wednesday morning to discuss the blockbuster trade that sent All Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for "a ham sandwich."
According to Irvin, Hopkins told him that he had met with head coach Bill O'Brien prior to the trade, and that the meeting deteriorated once O'Brien compared Hopkins to Aaron Hernandez. Furthermore, Irvin claims that O'Brien didn't like how Hopkins "has his baby mamas around sometimes."
Says Irvin, "And from there I think the relationship just went bad and thus we got a trade of DeAndre Hopkins from Houston, for basically what I said earlier, a ham sandwich all because of that relationship."
Shortly after Irvin's inflammatory comments went viral, Hopkins jumped on social media to defend his former coach.
"This is being blown way out of proportion. As I’ve said before, I enjoyed and am proud of my time with the Texans. I have the utmost respect for Coach O’Brien and that will not change. Now, I’m ready to play for the Cardinals."
Hopkins, arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL, has earned First Team All-Pro honors in each of the last three seasons. He finished with 104 receptions for 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns a season ago, while helping Houston to a 10-6 record and guiding them to their second straight playoff appearance.
DeAndre Hopkins Soured On Texans After Aaron Hernandez Comparison
Michael Irvin reveals that Texans coach Bill O'Brien had compared DeAndre Hopkins to Aaron Hernandez during pre-trade meeting.
The Houston Texans shocked the NFL world earlier this week when they traded All Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for aging running back David Johnson and some future draft picks, none of which are in the first round.
On Wednesday, NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin provided his insight on the situation in Houston, including how head coach Bill O'Brien allegedly compared Hopkins to Aaron Hernandez during a pre-trade meeting.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
During his appearance on ESPN's "Get Up," Irvin revealed that Hopkins' relationship with the Texans went south once O'Brien brought up Hernandez, and voiced his displeasure with the fact that Hopkins sometimes bring his baby mamas around.
Says Irvin:
"He told me, he said, Michael, it was a bit of a power struggle there because Bill O’Brien thought he had too much influence over the locker room. He called DeAndre Hopkins in a meeting to talk about this and to kind of get this — hash it out. In that meeting, he started the meeting with telling DeAndre Hopkins this — which blew my mind when DeAndre told me this. He told DeAndre Hopkins, he said, ‘Hey, the last time I had to have a meeting like this it was with Aaron Hernandez.’ I was like what? He put in Aaron Hernandez in this meeting? He said yes he did. He said, ‘Michael. that blew my mind that he would even bring that up, I’ve never been in any trouble, I don’t know why he would equate me with Aaron Hernandez.’"
"And from there the meeting just deteriorated. He got into talking about DeAndre Hopkins. DeAndre Hopkins has a few kids from different women and he said, you know, he told DeAndre that he doesn’t like that he has his baby mamas around sometimes. And from there I think the relationship just went bad and thus we got a trade of DeAndre Hopkins from Houston, for basically what I said earlier, a ham sandwich all because of that relationship."
Check out Irvin's full thoughts in the video embedded below.
