Kansas City Chiefs. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Ryan Clark couldn’t believe some fans booed the display of unity.
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs started off the season with a resounding victory over Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans, but one of the biggest events of the evening occurred right before kick-off, as a “show of unity” that featured both teams linking arms was booed by some fans in attendance at Arrowhead Stadium that apparently couldn’t stand their favorite team taking a stand against police brutality.
ESPN analyst Ryan Clark was disappointed in how Chiefs fans booed two black quarterbacks coming together to preach acceptance and unity without staging a protest during the national anthem, epitomizing how crushing it was to see this display happen in Arrowhead last night.
Ryan Clark mentioned how linking arms in a sign of unity has been cheered on previous occasions
Clark, who played in the NFL for 13 years with Washington, the Steelers, and the Giants called out what he believes to be a hypocritical stance from fans. Clark said that linking arms for causes like military appreciation, breast cancer, or autism would’ve been rightfully clapped for, but calling for racial harmony was apparently too much for Kansas City fans to stomach.
Texans defensive end JJ Watt was also disappointed in how fans took this protest, as he pointed out there was no mention of the American flag or any political stance being taken in arguably the most peaceful protest possible. This should’ve been a cause for celebration, but some Chiefs fans turned into another hot-button issue.
Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs taking what should have been the most cut-and-dried, inoffensive opinion in the world, saying that rampant police brutality is not something that should be tolerated, should’ve been cause for celebration and praise. The fact that Chiefs fans managed to somehow find some ambiguity and cause for complaint in it is almost extraordinary.