Villanueva Speaks

I said it before I'll say it again. Doesn't matter to me whether AV was inside or outside the tunnel. I didn't like the situation.

 

The unique situation here is regardless of the decision that the team made to stay off the field for the National Anthem it is total different for AV in the sense that he is an ex Army Ranger prior Military if you will to ask him to not participate in a time honor custom and courtesy is like putting a starving lion in a cage and throwing a 24oz T-Bone in front of him and not expecting it to react. It's in breed into us all through our time we serve because thats who we serve our Flag and the American people. When any Military song is played or sung whether it be the National Anthem, Taps, Retreat we have a moral obligation to fallow suit and render respect to customs and courtesies. When the National Anthem is sung and our Flag is displayed I with out a doubt rise to my feet and do what I was thought to do and that is render respect and honor to those past and present because that's who I am and what I'm about. There's no black and white there. I'm proud of AV for many reasons but mostly because he's my brother in arms we share that destinction. God Bless America and the Steelers.

 

You keep posting these tweets. But they don't support what you're suggesting.

 

It's BS it even got to the point where they voted to prevent their army ranger teammate from attending the National Anthem. It obviously was important enough for him to want to be able to get a good vantage point to see the flag and the ceremony. I'm not sure why this fact is getting lost in all of this. It was important to him. I also think it's BS they couldn't move up 10 feet to join him. The whole thing is ridiculous.<mod edit>

Let's not go there.

 

Titans have a player who has a father who served 23 years and his brother died while serving the country. He stayed in the locker room with his team, no issues. Titans aren't getting hammered in the media like the Steelers are. He also said he plans on kneeling during the anthem until the President apologies. So there's some perspective.

 

What did I miss? He wanted to get a view of the flag... How is that twisting his words? It obviously had some meaning to him. Even if he truly didn't intend to stand out from the crowd like that. I didn't hear about any other non-captains wanting to get up front to see the flag.

 

He's served his country in combat and everything inside of him said to stand in view of the flag for our anthem. That's it.
The rest of the chatter are just the usual's with agendas, so take it for what it's worth. They'll use a thread like a sign non-stop and argue endlessly. They live for this!


Maybe, just maybe, the team didn't stay with him?

 

I know there's people mad at every team for whatever reason. Just type in Titans and Steelers in Twitter. Steelers have had it the worst out of every team even the teams that kneeled. First everybody is praising AV and ****ting on the rest of the team. Then he has to come out and tell the truth. Now some people are mad at AV. Ben and Heyward had to do a presser on it. Ben had to release a statement. Mr Rooney had to. Tomlin is visibly mad. What other teams are having to go thru all this? They've legit pissed off every side in this.

 

First, the team didn't vote on whether or not AV could go to the sideline, the mouth of the tunnel, or anywhere else. Everyone--AV included--mutually agreed to stay in the tunnel. Not as a protest, but to avoid being perceived as protesting in the public/media eye.

Second, it's been said (by at least AV and Ben) that the anthem started playing while AV was gapped from the rest of the team. The players, again including at least AV and Ben, decided to stand still rather than shuffle around while the anthem was playing (and, I'd add, photographers were pointing cameras at them). Even if other players wanted to see the flag, they mistimed their arrival at the tunnel's mouth and were surprised that the anthem started playing when it did. (And c'mon, you're making it no-win: how can 53 big men all be at the front?)

 

Leave it alone, AV was the hero, and the only one that showed respect to the national anthem, the flag, the country.

"It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove any doubt"
-Twain

 

So I guess the mans word means nothing anymore

 

Your right AV was just covering for them, I wouldn't expect anything different from him.

 

Yeah, I'm replying to myself. But it's to say...

When I Google Image-searched for a pic of the players behind AV, I was surprised at how many are angled to obscure them or are light-metered to put the tunnel in almost total darkness. Talk about media spin...

 

FFS? " Friends for Sale" ? haha

 

Of course there is also " Fat Finger Syndrome" lol