THE owners of FC Dallas went out to defend player Reggie Cannon after expressing their displeasure at the enthusiasts who booed the players kneeling the national anthem, and then faced a backlash on social media by adding threats.
Cannon made comments after the game between Dallas and Nashville SC on Wednesday night. Players on both sides, as well as officials, released the anthem at Toyota Stadium, provoking a handful of boos.
“I think it was certainly disgusting,” Cannon said. “Do you have enthusiasts booing you for other people who take sides for what they do?”
The reaction against Cannon was swift on social media, adding racist and threatening comments. This prompted a response from team owners Clark and Dan Hunt.
“We need to be clear: we love Reggie Cannon. The racist comments and death threats he won are disgusting and unacceptable,” the Hunts said in the statement. “There is no position in our sport, or in our country for that matter, for the kind of terrible vitriol That Reggie had to suffer today. Hate threats or violent threats are never justified, especially when targeting a member of our FC Dallas family. »
It is the first game in a local market since Major League Soccer suspended its season on March 12 due to coronavirus. The league hosted the MLS is Back tournament last month, but enthusiasts were unable to participate in ESPN’s Wide World of Sports games at Walt Disney World.
Due to positive coVID-19 tests, Dallas and Nashville did play in the tournament.
MLS resumes the normal season, with enthusiasts in the stands if the courts allow it. At the 25,000-seat Toyota Stadium, 5,100 enthusiasts can attend.
MLS commissioner Don Garber joined the Hunts in condemning the threats.
“As we have said for many years, Major League Soccer supports players and staff who manifest themselves non-violently in the call for equality and social justice,” Garber said in a statement. “Some of the comments made on social media after the match were appalling. We must be very transparent that MLS will not tolerate any abuse or risk that is opposed to an individual player or team who makes the decision to exercise their right to protest non-violently while betting on the national anthem or any other pre-game ceremony.
There were reports that a fan was kicked out of the game due to a bottle thrown on the field, but it is not known whether this is similar to the anthem or the player’s movements.
The Major League Soccer Players Association expressed its support for Cannon on Twitter: “Your teammates are you. Your war parts are you. Your PA is you. Keep proving. Keep talking.”
Cannon said the players had asked not to play the anthem before the game because they didn’t believe it simply “right now.”
“We had to be coreating America, but they don’t perceive what it means to kneel. They don’t perceive why we’re on our knees. They can’t see the reason. They think we’re the ignorant,” Cannon said. “It’s incredibly frustrating. I’m sorry to have that tone, but you have to call it what it is.”
But he also expressed his opinion on the situation.
“It hurts because I love our hobby, I love this club and I need to see what the league has given us, that everyone has given us, of our hobby,” he said.