Lions' Tate rips Trump over Charlottesville, considering protest
Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate became the latest athlete to criticize President Donald Trump for his tacit support of the white nationalist riots in Charlottesville, VA.
Tate was incensed by Trump's comments - in which the president appeared to justify the actions of the white nationalist protesters - and said the state of social affairs within the United States has continually descended during the his regime.
"It hurts to have those types of things happen," Tate said Wednesday to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. "For it to be supported by the leader of our country is even scarier.
"I haven't read too much into it, but what I have read into it hasn't been pleasing. It leaves us minorities with our hands up, like, 'What can we do to protect ourselves? Who can we trust? What can we trust?' I feel like a whole lot of Americans feel like they've been tricked. But at the same time, what is the leader of our country doing that he wasn't already doing before he was elected? It's saddening, man. It's saddening. Because we're supposed to be taking steps forward. We're supposed to be moving over that hump. Instead, it just seems like things are getting worse. Only thing I can do is pray on it and try to lead this community otherwise."
Tate said he's considering staging a protest against social inequality, but doesn't want to sit through the national anthem.
"I haven't thought about how I want to do it yet," he said. "I want to definitely support what's right for humanity, I just haven't figured out what's the appropriate way to do it. The way that's going to get my point across, and not be misinterpreted. I support the cause that Michael Bennett and Colin Kaepernick are standing for. I'm just not sure I would do it that way because I do have a lot of respect for the men and women who serve our country. That just wouldn't be my approach.
"I want to talk with my support system, my family, my agency, and see what I can do. But I'm definitely all for it, and hopefully, if I choose to stand up for what I believe in, which is humanity and what's right, hopefully I'm not blackballed out of this league."
The Lions also released a statement in which they condemned the use of their logo by white nationalists in Charlottesville over the weekend. An image published Saturday showed a shield held by a man displaying a logo that looked very similar.
"We detest and disavow any use or implied use of the Detroit Lions logo or any of our marks in association with the event this past Saturday in Charlottesville," the Lions' statement read, via Sports Illustrated. "We value diversity as it represents the strong fabric of our team, the City of Detroit, the NFL, the game of football, our fans, and our country."
Ahead of the upcoming NFL season, it seems the turbulent political climate of the United States is becoming too much for players and teams to avoid.