Herschel Walker (shown on left) is well known to sports fans for being a three-time All-American (in football and track) at the University of Georgia and winner of the Heisman Trophy in 1982. Afterward, he had a successful career with both the now-defunct United States Football League (USFL) and the NFL, playing from 1983 until 1997.
However, this week Walker was in the news criticizing Black Lives Matter and the increasing number of professional athletes who are publicly supporting BLM. He posted a video on Twitter on August 2, in which he said:
I saw a bunch of people holding a BLM sign burning the Holy Bible. Burning the flag of the United States of America, also burning a cross…. And I started thinking… NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB: is this the people you’re supporting right now? Is it the movement? Is it the organization? Because I don’t think that’s right. America wake up … if we love our Country, let’s speak up, stand up and protect it!
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The previous day, Walker spoke with Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro, host of the Justice With Judge Jeanine program, telling the former judge, “It hurts because we’re the greatest country in the world and [they’re] taking a knee on the United States…. Do we have our problems? Yes, we do. Can we solve them? Yes, we can.”
Walker related to Pirro: “We were taking a knee a couple years ago and what did it accomplish? I said, ‘Guys, what is your endgame? What do you want? No one is saying what they want. I saw where they say they want justice for Breonna (Taylor) and I do too, but what does that mean? Why don’t people give solutions rather than do things against the greatest country, which is the United States of America.”
In another interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham on August 3, Walker asked: “What BLM are you supporting? … The organization is not something that speaks for a lot of people.”
“I’m for ‘American Lives Matter’ because I’m an American.”
Walker also defended Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac, the only NBA player who did not take a knee during the national anthem at the start of the league’s opening weekend on July 31.”
USA Today, in an August 1 report, quoted this statement from Isaac:
Kneeling or wearing a Black Lives Matter t-shirt didn’t go hand in hand with supporting Black lives…I believe that, for myself, my life has been supported through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that everyone is made in the image of God and that we all fall short of God’s glory. And that each and every one of us every day do things that we shouldn’t do. We say things we shouldn’t say. We hate and dislike whatever we hate and dislike. And sometimes, we get into pointing fingers.
The New American reported on July 31 that the entire NBA (except for Jonathan Isaac) took a knee for “The Star Spangled Banner” the previous night.
Photo of Herschel Walker:
Related article:
Entire NBA Takes a Knee During National Anthem
Warren Mass has served The New American since its launch in 1985 in several capacities, including marketing, editing, and writing. Since retiring from the staff several years ago, he has been a regular contributor to the magazine. Warren writes from Texas and can be reached at [email protected].
