A's Bruce Maxwell Is First MLB Player To Protest National Anthem

Bruce Maxwell: "The only platform that seems to be getting attention is athletes kneeling, so I'm doing my part in baseball."

Jackie Robinson, I Never Had It Made (1972): "I cannot stand and sing the anthem. I cannot salute the flag; I know that I am a black man in a white world."

Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle:

A's rookie catcher Bruce Maxwell, who earlier in the day profanely bashed President Donald Trump on Instagram, became the first major-league player to kneel during the National Anthem on Saturday before Oakland's game at the Coliseum.

The product of a military family, Maxwell placed his hand on his heart and faced the flag during the anthem while taking a knee before the game against Texas. Teammate Mark Canha placed his hand on Maxwell's shoulder.

The A's issued a statement on Twitter after the National Anthem that read: "The Oakland A's pride ourselves on being inclusive. We respect and support all our players' constitutional rights and freedom of expression."

Saturday morning, Maxwell, who is African American, took a strong stand on Instagram against Trump's remarks about NFL players who choose to kneel during the National Anthem.

After Trump's comments urging NFL owners to fire any players who kneel for the anthem, Maxwell posted a tweet from Andrew Steinthal that suggested that all NFL players should kneel for the anthem on Sunday. Below the post, Maxwell added in a comment, "Yeah, f- this guy! Our president speaks of inequality of man because players are protesting the anthem! F- this man! Seriously on the highest platform for our country expressing that it is OK for there to be division of man and rights!" ...

Maxwell's agent, Matt Sosnick, confirmed this Saturday evening, saying via text: "Bruce's father is a proud military lifer. Anyone who knows Bruce or his parents is well aware that the Maxwells' love and appreciation for our country is indisputable. Bruce has made it clear that he is taking a stand about what he perceives as racial injustices in this country, and his personal disappointment with President Trump's response to a number of professional athletes' totally peaceful, non-violent protests. Bruce has shared with both me and his teammates that his feelings have nothing to do with a lack of patriotism or a hatred of any man, but rather everything to do with equality for men, women and children regardless of race or religion."

Bruce Maxwell: "Inequality is being displayed bigger than ever right now as our president shows that freeedom of protest and speech is not allowed."

Martin Gallegos, The Mercury News:

In the wake of President Donald Trump's recent comments about how professional athletes who refuse to stand for the national anthem should be fired, Bruce Maxwell decided to make a statement on the field.

The A's catcher went down on a knee for the anthem with his hand placed over his heart before Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers. Maxwell is the first MLB player to do so, and he tweeted out earlier in the day that he would not be surprised to see more players do it soon.

Eric Stephen, SB Nation:

Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell took a knee during the national anthem before Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers at O.co Coliseum, believed to be the first Major League Baseball player to do so this season.

This comes one day after a speech by President Donald Trump on Friday during which he said national anthem protestors should be fired, comments that were called "divisive" by the NFL. The NFL Players Association released a statement in response to Trump that said, "No man or woman should ever have to choose a job that forces them to surrender their rights."

Marissa Payne, Washington Post:

Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell catapulted himself into the ongoing national political discourse on Saturday when he knelt for the national anthem ahead of a game against the Texas Rangers.

Maxwell, a 26-year-old rookie, is the first MLB player to kneel during the anthem, following in the footsteps of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began kneeling during the anthem ahead of the 2016 NFL season.

Since then several dozen athletes, mostly NFL players, have followed suit, using the gesture to protest police shootings of unarmed black men and to support the Black Lives Matter movement.

Maxwell, however, knelt also to protest comments made Friday and Saturday by President Trump, according to his agent, specifically Trump's call on NFL owners to fire players for kneeling during the anthem.

"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners," wondered the president at a Friday night rally, "when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out. He's fired. He's fired!'"

Trump continued on the subject, criticizing the NFL for trying to make the game safer for players and on Saturday, via Twitter, he uninvited Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry to the White House. The Warriors subsequently announced none of the team would go when they make their trip to Washington, D.C., in February to celebrate their 2017 NBA Finals victory.

Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY Sports:

Major League Baseball, the sport of Jackie Robinson and long ago a touchstone of civil rights, saw its first athlete join the movement started by Colin Kaepernick and inflamed this weekend by President Trump.

Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell, who hinted at such an action earlier in the day, knelt during the national anthem before Saturday night's game against the Texas Rangers. ...

Maxwell's tweets Saturday made it clear that Trump's verbiage took the movement to another level: "This now has gone from just a BlackLives Matter topic to just complete inequality of any man or woman that wants to stand for Their rights!" ...

Trump's speech and morning-after tweets aroused a sports world that had largely let Kaepernick - currently without an NFL job - kneel alone since his protest began in August 2016.

As NFL players geared up for what may be a significant day of protest before Sunday's games, and NBA players blasted the president on social media as well, Maxwell's Twitter and Instagram feeds went beyond his usual penchant for Alabama Crimson Tide football.

But until he took a knee before Saturday's game, baseball did not yet have a player join in anthem protests that started with Kaepernick and continued through various NFL players and even to U.S. women's national soccer team star Megan Rapinoe.

Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports: "Bruce Maxwell is a 26-year-old catcher with barely a year of major league service. He has a lot to lose. He knelt anyway. Principled. Brave."

Lindsey Adler, Deadspin, spoke to Teresa Kaepernick, mother of Colin Kaepernick:

[W]e don't get too upset over most of this stuff anymore. ... I can't be losing sleep over this kind of stuff. It's disappointing that Trump is the president and talks the way he talks, though. It's just incredibly disappointing. ... The guy is not all there ... To see this man that you have no respect for, basically because of all that he's done in this presidency so far, slandering my kid publicly ... This is the third time from the podium — always at his rallies, never at a regular press conferences where someone questioned him. ... It's like a bully on a playground ... I saw on Twitter that he'd said it ... I thought, "Aw man, this is just ridiculous that he continues to attack private citizens like this and continues to not be able to see what freedom of speech is ..." Yet at the same time, in Charlottesville, he would not call out the Nazis, not call out the white supremacists, but he's calling out these guys who are peacefully kneeling and asking for their country to do better.

Last night:

Miranda Green and Susannah Cullinane, CNN:

Legendary musician Stevie Wonder took both knees at a New York music festival [the 2017 Global Citizen Festival in Central Park], seemingly showing solidarity with NFL players criticized by President Donald Trump hours earlier.

"Tonight, I'm taking a knee for America; but not just one knee, I'm taking both knees," he said on stage Saturday before his performance at the Global Citizens Festival. ...

"Our global brothers and sisters, I didn't come here to preach, but I'm telling you, our spirit must be in the right place. All the time -- not just now, but tomorrow and whenever ... you need to interrupt hate, stand down bigotry, condemn sexism and find love for all of our global brothers and sisters every day," Wonder said.

He then took a knee with his son, Kwame Morris.

Early this morning:

Zachary Ripple, New York Daily News:

Many players on both the Jaguars and Ravens knelt during the national anthem performed in the UK on Sunday morning, making a unified statement in response to Trumps critical comments Friday of NFL players who protest during "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Jaguars owner Shad Khan, the only minority owner in the NFL, also made a definitive statement, locking arms with his players during the anthem. Khan is one of several league owners to have contributed $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee.

Following the U.S. anthem, every player responded by standing during the performance of "God Save the Queen."

Writer Shaun King (who says he knows of at least 75 NFL players who will protest the anthem today) tweeted: "27 players and staff took a knee this morning from the Jaguars and Ravens. Most ever in one game."

Ian Rapoport, who covers the NFL, stated: "Never seen an owner taking part in an anthem demonstration with players. But there is Jaguars owner Shad Khan locking arms with players."

On Friday night, King noted: "Very revealing that the harshest language Trump has ever used as President was reserved for Black men protesting injustice."