One student raised a fist. The other got down on one knee. Both were immediately told to hand in their uniforms. https://t.co/81Yut2IkLR

— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 2, 2017

Two high school students in Texas were kicked off their football team on Friday night after they demonstrated during the national anthem to protest racial inequality.

One student, Cedric Ingram-Lewis, 16, raised a fist in the air while the anthem played. The other, Larry McCullough, 18, got down on one knee. In response, their coach told them to hand over their uniforms, The Houston Chronicle reported.

“We had to get our message across: End racial injustice and the oppression of black people,” Mr. Ingram-Lewis said in a phone interview on Sunday.

The coach, Ronnie Mitchem, is the pastor at Victory and Praise Worship Center in Crosby, Tex., and a Marine Corps veteran. In a phone interview on Sunday, he said the teenagers’ demonstration was offensive to people who served in the military.

“I’ve been very patriotic my whole life,” he said. “I believe everybody has a right to protest, and I let those guys do their protests. But the rule was, if you did this protest, you wouldn’t be on the team.”
Continue reading the main story

The two teenagers, who are cousins, decided to demonstrate even though Mr. Mitchem had warned players the day before against protesting, Mr. Ingram-Lewis said. After the anthem, Mr. Mitchem told them to return their uniforms, which they did.

How very Christian of the coach…and so tolerant!

*spit*

(edited to add link to The Houston Chronicle)