We have sons in football at Hopkins and we played the third game Thursday night against Belding. It was a tough match between the JV teams and they both played well and hard but I was blown away again with the amount of disrespect and unsportsmanship shown.
Last week we played Allendale and they showed the same thing, not kneeling when a player is injured. Witnessing this not only as a parent, but a veterans daughter is just plain sad. What are these coaches teaching their players when they can’t even kneel for their own player lying on their field injured?
Our Hopkins players, are doing this out of respect and sportsmanship.
I e-mailed the athletic director for Allendale, never heard back and just e-mailed the head coach for the Belding football team and haven’t heard back as of yet.
This country is in dire need of morals and rules and if we continue to let these young players not understand the meaning of kneeling and paying respect for those that may be injured, what are they going to continue to not do out of respect for each other and our country!
EDITOR’S NOTE; The editor has agreed not to disclose the name of the author of this letter out of concerns about retaliation, yet the subject matter is worthy of discussion.
My son played for Hopkins for a few years, and he learned a lot it’s a great program.. his last 2 years he played in Allegan. First game of his senior year at Comstock he got hit late, was laid out on the field with a concussion & the Comstock players laughed & not one of them took a knee. I was so disgusted I could barely see straight leaving that disgrace of a football field.
Taking a knee has been a custom, not a rule for sure. While one would hope that it might be to say a prayer, I think that is even less likely. And another problem the coach leading the team in prayer could cause the coach to be in trouble. While the Supreme Court makes it possible again who knows how many schools (school boards) still don’t allow team prayer?
And another thought about taking a knee — like the handshake at game’s end — overuse and mandated ‘sportsmanship’ means the players think less about it.