According to the Miami Herald, the union has requested that Broward Sheriff’s Office police officers refuse to escort the Dolphins to their game, a week after four Miami players kneeled during the national anthem in a protest of police misconduct and general mistreatment of black people in America.
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Jeff Bell, president of the union, called for the boycott.
There’s been a growing list of NFL players protesting the national anthem this season, and not everyone is happy about it.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office, who provides security for Dolphins players for their home games, is threatening to pull their detail should members of the team continue to kneel in protest.
Today in disproportionate responses, the local Broward County police union has a clear message for the Miami Dolphins: If you don’t stand up during the national anthem, we’re not going to protect your lives. “I’m torn personally. I do recognize the importance of freedom of speech in the constitutional rights that everybody enjoys”. However, in certain professions, an individual’s freedom of speech must take a back seat to the organization or government entity that they choose to represent.
“It is absolutely a privilege to be one of the selected few that get put up on a pedestal to play on TV and make millions of dollars for simply playing a game”, Bell said. These escorts often involve putting the men and women of law enforcement agencies at risk as they block intersections during peak traffic times in order to expedite the travel time between facilities.
“I don’t think it was any lack of respect”, Ross stated. What good is it to ask singers to sing the national anthem, honor guards to perform services or ask the United States Air Force to conduct fly overs during the National Anthem if the same organization will not even set a minimum code of conduct for its players?
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“(We) have contractual obligations with Hard Rock Stadium to provide public safety”, Miami-Dade police said, via the Herald.
