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Ohio Supreme Court Justice Blasts Browns Over Anthem Protest
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – An Ohio Supreme Court justice is criticizing some Cleveland Browns players who prayed in silent protest during the national anthem before a game.
Justice Bill O’Neill writes on Facebook he won’t attend any games at which “draft dodging millionaire athletes disrespect the veterans who earned them the right to be on that field.” He said Tuesday “shame on you all.”
O’Neill notes he’s a Vietnam veteran whose family has a history of military service. He’s also the lone Democrat holding a statewide office in Ohio.
More than a dozen Browns players kneeled and formed a circle on the sideline during the anthem Monday. Tight end Seth DeValve says he wanted “to pray for our country.”
The protest was the largest in a social-consciousness movement started last season by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, currently a free agent.