“Duck Dynasty” star Willie Robertson and wife Korie Robertson debated kneeling during the national anthem with three NFL players.
The Robertsons were joined by Arian Foster, Michael Thomas and Nate Boyer during Monday’s episode of “At Home with the Robinsons” on Facebook Live.
Following the debate, Willie held onto his belief that the national anthem was an inappropriate time to protest. (RELATED: Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr Defends Kneeling For The National Anthem)
“Personally, I don’t have a problem if someone wants to wear a logo or something,” Willie said during the episode. “It’s when they got to the flag, of choosing that exact time to make your protest, I just felt like the flag should really bring us together … yeah, that just feels a little un-American.”
“I understand, though, wanting to change for sure,” he added. “It’s just like, is that the best time? You know? The flag and even, for me, football. When I watch football, I don’t want to be thinking about who the president is and what the politics are. I just want to watch either my favorite team or two teams go after it.”
Thomas, who plays safety and is currently a free agent, claimed that NFL players that took a knee were “using their voice and platform.”
“Everybody who took a knee, everybody who was fighting for social justice and using their voice and platform,” Thomas said. “We were just trying to say, ‘Look, if we’re looked at as leaders in our community, and we can talk about, you know, stopping domestic violence; we can talk about, like, you know, raising awareness for cancer, anti-bullying and stuff like that, when it comes to issues in the African American community, why can’t we be the leaders and the champions of that as well? And use our voice and platform and do it?'”
Foster, who last played for the Miami Dolphins before retiring from the sport in 2016, claimed that protesting is meant to be “contentious” while acknowledging Willie’s discomfort.
“It’s never the right time, and the disconnect between the sides of this country is, there’s people saying, ‘It’s not right, things aren’t right’ and other people saying, ‘but it could be worse,’ and I’m like, ‘Well what are we here for if not to make this place better?'” Foster said.