Veterans gathered at the American Legion Post 17 in Edgewood on Sunday to burn Ravens clothing and memorabilia. It comes as players across the NFL are kneeling during the National Anthem in protest of social justice issues and critical comments by President Trump. Several Ravens players took a knee last week in London.
"That's not freedom of speech. It really isn't," said one veteran, "If you go into your job and say certain things, you're not going to have a job."
The group recited the Pledge of Allegiance and sung the National Anthem outside the Legion hall before throwing their lifelong collections of Ravens gear into a fire pit.
"Today, this is what we think of the NFL," said Post Commander Edward McCann.
Veterans across the country have found the player protests offensive.
"The National Anthem was written right here in Baltimore, Maryland," said McCann. "For these gentlemen to totally disrespect it the way they did I think is atrocious."
Sunday, the Ravens team knelt together at M&T Bank Stadium before the National Anthem was sung in an effort to appease those who took offense. Then, the team stood for the anthem. Boo's were still heard from fans in attendance.
"Even though it was supposed to be a silent prayer, it was mainly boo's. That goes to show that it has nothing to do with the anthem. We stood up for the anthem because we respect the flag, we respect the veterans and everything that got misconstrued last week," said Linebacker C.J. Mosely.
As for whether the NFL player protests will continue, Quarterback Joe Flacco said after the game that the team has not yet talked about it. He says he would like to believe that the issue has been addressed and that the team can move on.
