Yes, you can be fired for your speech

Most pundits and reporters do not understand what Colin Kaepernick has done. This is not a free speech or civil rights issue. It is a case of whether you can use someone else’s platform to express your views.

If my local weather man wants to air his thoughts at a political rally, he has every right to do so. However, when I tune in to his weather report, I do not want to hear his position on immigration reform. When I watch a football game, I expect to be entertained, not to have my politics challenged.

I spent my career as a teacher. While in the classroom, I had many opportunities to weigh in on controversial issues. However, I was hired to teach students how to think, not what to think. The moment I pulled into the school parking lot, I moved from private citizen to school board employee. While I had a captive audience everyday, it would have been irresponsible for me to use that position to protest what I considered to be an injustice. Once I left the school grounds, I had no problems writing letters to the editor and engaging in protest activities.

While Kaepernick has every right to express himself on controversial issues, he has no right to do so on the field of his employer, as this suggests he may be representing the views of the owner. He should have received a warning the first time he knelt and fired if he tried to do it a second time.

Freedom of speech does not mean you can say anything you want any time you wish. Employers have a legal right to censure and fire their employees if they are promoting opinions on company grounds that they find to be offensive.

This story was originally published September 27, 2017 at 3:04 PM with the headline "Yes, you can be fired for your speech."