Coastal Carolina graduate in NFL speaks out about Trump comments, player protests

Coastal Carolina University graduate Josh Norman was among the NFL players who spoke out against President Donald Trump for his comments about NFL players who choose to peaceably protest during the national anthem.

And the Washington Redskins cornerback took it a step further than most players.

“What president? Not my president,” Norman said, via USAToday.com's Lorenzo Reyes. “He was chosen, true. But when a president acts like that, what do you say to that? That's not someone that stands with dignity, pride, respect, honor. Where's the honor in that? Where's the dignity in that? Where is anything that's prideful in doing what you did? “Words are powerful. They can either unite you, or they can divide you. So what he said united us.”

At a rally Friday in Alabama, Trump said: “Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b**** off the field right now. Out. He's fired. He's fired!’ ”

“That's disrespectful,” Norman said. “That's appalling. When you call a man an S.O.B., how you call somebody that? That's not your right to do. Understand that.

“… I'm telling you right now, this man is not welcome in Washington, D.C. He's not. I hope he won't be around when I see him. He's not welcome. I can say that to your face. He's not welcome.”

Norman wasn’t the only former Chanticleer who took the occasion to take a stand, though in the case of former CCU running back Mike Tolbert, he took a knee.

Tolbert was among about a quarter of the Buffalo Bills roster that knelt during the national anthem before the team’s home game against Denver on Sunday.

This story was originally published September 25, 2017 at 11:05 PM with the headline "Coastal Carolina graduate in NFL speaks out about Trump comments, player protests."