Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Yesterday, as the NFL was forced to confront the mindless ravings of our current president, league-wide demonstrations were held during the playing of the national anthem before kickoff. It began in the early morning in London, and continued through the 1 PM EST slate and throughout the day. The Buffalo Bills, hosting the Denver Broncos, were one of the 1 PM kickoffs and several Bills players either knelt or locked arms during the anthem. LeSean McCoy stretched during it and then walked off the field before it concluded.
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The reaction by fans across the league was mixed, with many fans booing during the anthem to register their distaste for what the players were doing. I guess that form of anthem protest is OK, though. One Bills stadium worker, however, took it a step further. He up and quit his job. Erich Nikischer, an employee of 30 years, is no longer an employee.
"I waited until the National Anthem ended, I took off my shirt, threw my Bills hat on the ground, walked out," Nikischer said in a sit-down interview with Channel 2 at his West Seneca home.
Nikischer says he has no problem with players protesting before the National Anthem. It's when the kneeling continued into the song that strong feelings took over.
It's worth noting that these protests began last year, quietly, without anyone really noticing and Colin Kaepernick never drew attention to himself. A reporter happened to notice one week during the preseason, and asked him. Kaepernick responded bluntly and honestly and the rest is history. Perhaps a reporter also just happened to notice a random stadium worker making a big stink about the protestors for what he felt was an "[im]proper venue" for protest (I'm sure that's what it's about), but this is quite clearly more attention-seeking than anything Colin Kaepernick has done.Nikischer does have at least one thing in common with the former Super Bowl quarterback: they're both unemployed."During the National Anthem…the song that is about our country, our veterans that fight and die for us, it's just something I feel you shouldn't disrespect that way," he said. "I believe people have the right to protest; I just don't believe that's the proper venue for it."