Michael Strahan unknowingly sparked a controversy over the weekend for the way he stood during the playing of the national anthem, and the NFL legend has now addressed the situation.
Strahan, who played in the NFL with the New York Giants from 1993-2007, has been an analyst for FOX since he retired. The NFL on FOX held its weekly pregame show at Naval Base San Diego on Sunday in recognition of Veterans Day. During a performance of the national anthem, all members of the FOX on-air crew stood with their hands over their hearts except for Strahan.
Some people accused Strahan of being disrespectful and trying to send a political message. In a video he shared on Instagram Tuesday night, Strahan said that could not be further from the truth.
“I didn’t have my hand over my chest. Everyone thought he’s protesting, he’s making a statement, which is so far from the truth,” Strahan said. “I have nothing to protest. I have no statement to be made. The only statement that should be made and that I wanna make is 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’s a major in the Army. My brother, my sister, my cousins, they all served in the military. I am a military brat, and so the fact of somebody saying that I’m unpatriotic couldn’t be any further from the truth.”
Strahan then explained that he was “caught up in the moment” admiring all the military personnel in attendance for their commitment to the United States. He said he then realized all of his FOX colleagues had their hands over their hearts and did not want to react to that during the anthem.
“By the time I looked up from that moment, all my FOX guys had their hands over their hearts, the national anthem’s playing,” Strahan added. “I somewhat panic and be like, do I be the fool that puts his hand over his heart after, or do I just stand here with my hands in front of me respectfully, which that’s what I did. That’s what happened. And if that offended any of our military and veterans, I apologize to you because that was never my intent. I’m a product of the military, a proud lover of the military, and a proud lover of all those who served before and now and those who will serve in the future.”
Strahan also addressed the video that showed him grabbing a reporter’s phone after the reporter waited outside Strahan’s house for a comment on the situation. He said he is “not proud of the way I handled that whole situation” but that he wanted to protect his family and his home.
You can see Strahan’s full Instagram video:
FOX reporter Jay Glazer also defended Strahan in a lengthy social media post on Monday.
National anthem protests generated a lot of attention at one point in the NFL, but it is clear Strahan was not trying to engage in one.
