(ThyBlackMan.com) Veterans Day, which is the holiday that honors military veterans, is upon us. The month of November also means that it is time for the NFL to reemphasize their “Salute to Service” campaign. The NFL’s “Salute to Service” is “a year-round effort to Honor, Empower, and Connect our nation’s service members, veterans, and their families. USAA and the NFL encourage military appreciation through the Salute to Service effort”.
It is not abnormal to see NFL teams selling merchandise that features army fatigues and items with a ‘military’ style look to it. There is even a “Salute to Service” award presented by USAA that “acknowledges the exceptional efforts by members of the NFL community to honor and support U.S. service members, veterans and their families”. NFL players and coaches have been wearing apparel related to this campaign but their was a notable person who decided not wear the NFL’s “Salute to Service” apparel.
Bill Belichick is the NFL’s most recognizable head coach for many reasons. The notoriety of the New England Patriots sustained run of excellence has been credited to three men: Bill Belichick, quarterback Tom Brady, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft. No head coach has won more Super Bowls than Belichick and he is arguably the best head coach in NFL history. Belichick is also known for his “unkempt” apparel including sweatshirts and hoodies that are often altered and cut as he wears them on gamedays. He has not been wearing the “Salute to Service” gear like jackets and hats like his fellow NFL head coaches. While Belichick hasn’t wear the apparel for several years now, it is different in today’s political climate.
One of the things that any NFL player who is protesting during the national anthem often says is that they “respect the military and their protest is not against the military or the troops”. That caveat is always mentioned because NFL protesters against police brutality and injustice against black people are often viewed as “unpatriotic” and “disrespectful to the flag and military”. Bill Belichick has a long history of being pro-military and a war buff and explained his reasoning for not wearing “Salute to Service” gear by saying, “I usually wear the same thing for every game — I mean, not the same thing, but depending on the weather and so forth, I just wear the same thing for every game. I don’t change what I wear weekly based on whatever the theme of the week is.”
It is an interesting hypothetical to whether a NFL player could refuse to wear the “Salute to Service” gear, give the same reasoning as Belichick, and not receive much worse backlash.
It is possible that Bill Belichick declining to participate in the “Salute to Service” as a protest to the campaign as a public relations move. People should not forget that a few years ago the NFL was part of the “Pay for Patriotism” report going on between the Defense Department and professional sports teams and how patriotism has been used a marketing gimmick. Of course, Belichick could not come out and say that so he might be embellishing his reasoning for his clothing decision. It is also possible that Belichick’s history of wearing the same drab and sloppy look of NFL apparel on the sidelines is helping him avoid some criticism. Regardless, a NFL player and especially a black NFL player would have a hard time doing the same thing for the same reason.
Staff Writer; Mark Hines
