Michael Strahan is addressing the backlash he has received since being filmed not putting his hand over his heart during the playing of the National Anthem.
As part of the Fox NFL Sunday’s special Veterans Day segment broadcast on Nov. 10 from the San Diego Naval base, Strahan was seen standing alongside his co-hosts during the National Anthem not placing a hand over his chest while his colleagues did. The move resulted in criticism and speculation that Strahan could’ve been attempting to make a statement.
However, in a post on Instagram, Strahan addressed the criticism and debunked the theories that he was protesting: “I have nothing to protest. I have no statement to be made. The only statement that should be made and that I want to make is that I love the military, I’ve always loved the military, and I will always love the military.”
“I do so many programs to help veterans and soldiers. I grew up on a military base with a father who was a major in the army. My brother, my sister, my cousins, they all served in the military — I’m a military brat,” Strahan continued. “And so the fact of somebody saying that, you know, I’m unpatriotic, couldn’t be any further from the truth.”
Strahan added that he was “caught up in the moment” of seeing the young sailors and Navy SEALs in attendance.
“I’m thinking to myself, ‘How incredible to be that young and to know that you want to do this,’” Strahan said. “It’s such a commitment, but you’re willing to commit to something that you know gives us our freedoms, plain and simple.”
When he realized that he didn’t have his hand over his heart, Strahan recalled having a “somewhat panic.” “I’m like, ‘Do I be the fool that puts his hand over his heart after or do I just stand here with my hand in front of me respectfully?’ Which, that’s what I did, that’s what happened.”
“If that offended any of our military and veterans, I apologize to you because that was never my intent,” Strahan ended the video. “I’m a product of the military, a proud lover of the military, and proud lover of all those who serve before, now, and who will serve in the future.”
Amid the criticism, Strahan’s Fox Sports co-host Jay Glazer defended him on social media writing, “Let me tell you this, I don’t know if I have a friend who is more proud of his military roots than Michael, growing up on an Army base constantly talking about what he learned from his dad Major Gene Strahan and how his time there shaped him. I heard it CONSTANTLY, still do! But also, with no fanfare I personally saw him donate thousands of dollars of clothes to veterans, including many homeless veterans as well clothes for veterans to go on job interviews.”
For Veterans Day, Strahan paid tribute to his father, “This is my hero, it is also my father and hero Maj. Gene W. Strahan, Sr. He served for 23 years in the army and was a proud member of the 82nd Airborne Division. Just as I honor my father, I keep all of you in my thoughts each and every day as we would not have the safety and freedoms we cherish without you. Thank You.”
