Legendary ex-NFL player and two-time Coach of the Year Mike Ditka has earned a backlash after criticizing current stars for their persistent kneeling before games, with some telling the 80-year-old he was "crazy" and to "shut up".
Six-time All Pro Ditka has been an outspoken opponent of teams kneeling before games in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, insisting that he does not want the "pretty" and "good looking" women in the new X League that he is in line to become chairman of to engage in protests.
His views have been vehemently rejected by players including former Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints wide receiver Dez Bryant, who called Ditka's outburst "feeling entitled at its finest".
"I don't want to hear all the crap," former tight end and Chicago Bears head coach Ditka told TMZ.
Somebody need to go have a sit down with Mike Ditka.. no arguing But explain to him what’s going on...feeling entitled at its finest
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) September 16, 2020
Good morning to everyone, especially heroes like Erica Kious and Mike Ditka.
— Emerald Robinson ✝️ (@EmeraldRobinson) September 16, 2020
"You don't protest against the flag and you don't protest against this country who's given you the opportunities to make a living playing a sport that you never thought would happen."
He later blasted to Newsmax: "If you can’t respect this country, get the hell out of it. It’s not a complicated thing.
"You play the game, you enjoy the game. If you don’t like the game, get out of it.”
Ditka's potential election as leader of the new women's league, which will feature eight teams in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, has evidently not won new backers courtesy of his unflinching views on pre-game gestures.
"Mike Ditka goes on another anti-black rant and tells black NFL players to 'get the hell out' of the country after protests," said Tariq Nasheed, who describes himself as "the world's number one race baiter" to his Twitter following of more than 254,000.
Mike Ditka goes on another anti-Black rant & tells Black NFL players to 'get the hell out' of the country after protests.When these anti-Black racist get older, they stop hiding their racist contempt & the media should stop using old photos of Mike Shitka, & show recent ones pic.twitter.com/HZt5IOaNoP
— Tariq Nasheed