Nick Piccone
UPDATE: According to Tavarres’ agent, Corey Williams, by way of FOX 29’s Chris O’Connell, Tavarres will stand for the national anthem on Thursday.
UPDATE:Agent for @Eagles rookie Myke Tavarres tells me his client "Will stand for national anthem". Reversing what he said in @espn report
— Chris O'Connell (@CoconnellFox29) August 29, 2016
Williams: "As a rookie, his goal is not to be a distraction for the Eagles. His coaches at Incarnate Word and I advised him to stand."
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 29, 2016
Original post below.
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Myke Tavarres, the undrafted free agent rookie linebacker that survived the Eagles’ first round of cuts, is going to take a stand after Colin Kaepernick made headlines after sitting out the national anthem before the 49ers’ game against the Green Bay Packers on Friday night. Speaking to ESPN’s Tim McManus, Tavarres said he almost decided to sit out the anthem before the Eagles’ game against the Colts on Saturday. And he said he will follow Kaepernick’s lead and sit down for the anthem this Thursday during the preseason finale against the Jets.
“Oh, I thought about it. Believe me, I definitely thought about it,” Tavarres said of sitting Saturday night. “And usually I’m front and center on the line with the rest of the guys, and that’s since pre-K all the way up. Saturday’s game, I stepped back, I was in the background, and it didn’t feel right to me at all, and so I will be taking a stand — or sitting down — for the fourth game.”
According to McManus, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz discussed the issue with his defense today. McManus notes a source said Tavarres joined guys like Leodis McKelvin and Malcolm Jenkins, among others, who revealed their thoughts.
“We’ve got an issue in this country in this day and age, and I feel like somebody needs to step up and we all need to step up,” Tavarres said. “We’ve got that right. There’s just a lot going on that people don’t want to talk about, and I feel like us as athletes, we’re looked at as role models. And I feel like with Colin Kaepernick, he’s doing a great job for standing up in what he believes in, and most people may not like that, but that’s his opinion, he’s entitled to it, and I respect him for doing it.”
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“In this situation, I’ve really got nothing to lose,” he said. “I’m a rookie free agent, haven’t signed any major contract, so there’s not a lot of money on the line, I don’t have any big endorsement deals on the line. Really what’s at stake is my pride and what kind of man would I be and what kind of African-American would I be if I didn’t stand my ground on this issue we have today?
“[It] needs to be done. Will there be backlash? Probably. I don’t think anyone has bought my jersey yet, so I don’t know if it’s going to be burned, but it’s a major issue and I’m definitely going to stand my ground for this one.”
The responses to this on social media have been about what you would expect. What do you think about what Tavarres said?