CINCINNATI — San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Friday he will remain in the clubhouse during the national anthem, a protest against the nation’s lack of actions following the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
“I don’t plan on coming out for the anthem going forward until I feel better about the direction of our country,” Kapler said before the Giants-Reds series opener.
“That’ll be the step. I don’t expect it to move the needle necessarily. It’s just something I feel strongly enough about to take that step.”
Earlier Friday, Kapler posted a link to his blog post about his reaction on Twitter, stating he regretted not making a form of protest on the night of the shootings.
Tuesday, an 18-year-old killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School using a an AR-15 assault rifle, a similar weapon to the one used in the Buffalo, N.Y., supermarket shooting that took the lives of 10 people.
“My brain said drop to a knee; my body didn’t listen. I wanted to walk back inside; instead I froze. I felt like a coward,” Kapler wrote. “I didn’t want to call attention to myself. I didn’t want to take away from the victims or their families. There was a baseball game, a rock band, the lights, the pageantry. I knew that thousands of people were using this game to escape the horrors of the world for just a little bit. I knew that thousands more wouldn’t understand the gesture and would take it as an offense to the military, to veterans, to themselves.
“But I am not okay with the state of this country. I wish I hadn’t let my discomfort compromise my integrity. I wish that I could have demonstrated what I learned from my dad, that when you’re dissatisfied with your country, you let it be known through protest. The home of the brave should encourage this.”
