NFL brass must be getting worried.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II sent out a letter to fans on Monday explaining the disrespectful actions.. but not apologizing.
In the letter, Rooney II stated, ‘The intentions of Steelers players were to stay out of the business of making political statements by not taking the field.’
It was the head coach Mike Tomlin’s idea to keep his players in the locker room during the national anthem. Perhaps he was making a political statement as he and his wife Kiya are very generous Democrat donors.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and his wife Kiya hosted a fundraiser for then-presumptive Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in June of 2016.
As reported by The Hill, the June 14 fundraiser was held at the couple’s home in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The invitation has two contribution levels, including a “supporter” level at $10,000 per person and a “host” level of $33,400 per person that offers attendees a reception with the candidate.
Kiya Tomlin, a fashion designer, also donated $25,000 to the Obama Victory Fund in 2008 and made the maximum individual donation of $2,700 to Clinton’s campaign last summer.
The Tomlins are longtime Democrat fundraisers and donors. They donated a combined $70,000 to the Obama Victory Fund in 2012 among other donations to Hillary Clinton.
Screenshot of the Tomlins’ fundraiser for Hillary Clinton provided by Salena Zito of the New York Post:
Former Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva was the ONLY Steeler to come out for the National Anthem on Sunday. He stood in the tunnel while the rest of the team hid in the locker room like disrespectful cowards.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters after the team lost on Sunday that he did not want Army Ranger veteran Alejandro Villanueva to stand for the national anthem.
And they want us to believe keeping the players in the locker room during the anthem was their way of staying out of making political statements? Pathetic.