The Jacksonville Jaguars seem to have confused loyalties

Maybe the Jacksonville Jaguars need to decide whose team they are on.

Like other teams in the NFL, the beefy millionaires hid in their locker room last Sunday during the national anthem. Also, while the “other” national anthem played.

(Because nothing says “unity” like having different anthems for people with different color skin.)

But, before the game, there was a flyover of Florida Air National Guard F-15s roaring over the stadium – a recognized sign of patriotism and respect for this nation.

So which is it? Are the Jaguars pro-America or not?

We hear that the Jaguars requested the demonstration. Military personnel do hundreds of flyover at events each year.

All an organization wanting a flyover needs to do is fill out DoD Form 2535. It can cost up to $36,000  in the case of the Blue Angels, but the military chalks it up to public relations and/or training. The requesting organization may have to pay some incidental expenses in some cases.

Here’s the interesting wrinkle.

There are guidelines. One of them is, “The event can’t endorse one religion or political viewpoint over another.”

Clearly, Jaguar players, and the Indianapolis Colts they played against, were putting on a political demonstration. The Colts were on the field during the anthem but their coach knelt as it was played.

Therefore, the military should have denied the request.

Eye on Jacksonville has heard some grumbling from local military veterans who don’t like demonstrations dishonoring the flag and the nation.

Such demonstrations are linked to the Black Lives Matter movement, which is linked to domestic communists.

Politifact, an internet site that claims to check facts, said, “Black Lives Matter was founded by community organizers. One of the three co-founders said in 2015 that she and another co-founder “are trained Marxists.” It also said a “few” members would identify themselves as Marxists.

BLM claims to be against “racial injustice,” but virtually everyone is against racial injustice, so that is merely verbiage to cover some other agenda.

Among its beliefs: “We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and ‘villages’ that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.”

The NFL opening games this year drew 16 percent fewer viewers than last year, so many other Americans obviously don’t agree with the league’s left-wing political stance.

Perhaps the very rich football players and their league would be better off by identifying and disclosing to the public actual cases of racism, not something that happened centuries ago. Then they should reveal what they are doing to alleviate the particular problem with their own time and money off the field.

On the football field, play football.

Lloyd was born in Jacksonville. Graduated from the University of North Florida. He spent nearly 50 years of his life in the newspaper business …beginning as a copy boy and retiring as editorial page editor for Florida Times Union. He has also been published in a number of national newspapers and magazines, as well as Internet sites. Married with children. Military Vet. Retired. Man of few words but the words are researched well, deeply considered and thoughtfully written.

Lloyd Brown

Lloyd was born in Jacksonville. Graduated from the University of North Florida. He spent nearly 50 years of his life in the newspaper business …beginning as a copy boy and retiring as editorial page editor for Florida Times Union. He has also been published in a number of national newspapers and magazines, as well as Internet sites. Married with children. Military Vet. Retired. Man of few words but the words are researched well, deeply considered and thoughtfully written.

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