Ted Cruz condemns national anthem protests by ‘rich, spoiled athletes’

Texas senator Ted Cruz has condemned NFL players who are protesting police violence against African-Americans by not standing during the national anthem.

The protests began last month when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the anthem during a preseason game.

His actions have inspired other players and teams. On Sunday, four Miami Dolphins knelt when the anthem was played before the game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Also on Sunday, Kansas City Chiefs players made a statement by linking arms on the sideline; cornerback Marcus Peters raised his right fist in the air.

In a tweet on Monday, Cruz reacted to former NBA star Jalen Rose’s “salute” to players and teams who “peacefully did protests for change.”

Cruz followed up with a second tweet calling for a boycott of all products associated with athletes who are protesting.

Kaepernick and teammate Eric Reid, for a second game in a row, both knelt during the national anthem before Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Rams. Two other teammates, Antoine Bethea and Eli Harold, stood with fists raised.

“I think it’s become so blatantly obvious that athletes and people in general have to react,” Kaepernick said after the game.

“For me, it was something that I couldn't see another ‘hashtag Sandra Bland, hashtag Tamir Rice, hashtag Walter Scott, hashtag Eric Garner,’ the list goes on and on and on.

“At what point do we do something about it? At what point do we take a stand and as a people say this isn’t right?”

This story was originally published September 13, 2016 at 9:29 AM with the headline "Ted Cruz condemns national anthem protests by ‘rich, spoiled athletes’."