Packers Legend Brett Favre Says Kneeling for National Anthem 'Created More Turmoil'

Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre expressed his belief Wednesday that players kneeling during the national anthem has not produced positive results.

During an interview on The Daily Wire's Andrew Klavan Show (h/t Jordan Mendoza of USA Today), Favre said he felt kneeling "created more turmoil than good."

Kneeling during the playing of the national anthem became a national talking point in 2016 when then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started doing it to protest against racial inequality, social injustice and police brutality. Several NFL players and athletes from other sports joined in thereafter.

The NFL initially banned players from kneeling prior to the 2018 season but then reversed its decision. In 2020, Commissioner Roger Goodell apologized for that stance amid the wave of Black Lives Matter protests across the United States and the rest of the world. 

In the wake of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and many more Black people being killed by police last year, athletes throughout the sports world demonstrated in different ways.

Favre said he doesn't want to see protests not related to football when he watches games:

"I know when I turn on a game, I want to watch a game. I want to watch players play and teams win, lose, come from behind. I want to watch all the important parts of the game, not what's going on outside of the game, and I think the general fan feels the same way.

"I can't tell you how many people have said to me, 'I don't watch anymore; it's not about the game anymore.' And I tend to agree."

The Green Bay Packers legend added: "It's really a shame that we've come to this. Something has to unify us, and I felt like the flag, standing patriotically—because Blacks and whites and Hispanics have fought for this country and died for this country. It’s too bad."

It seems likely that the NFL and other sports leagues will continue to encourage their players to protest if they so choose.

On Sunday, 20-year-old Black man Daunte Wright was shot and killed by police officer Kim Potter in a Minneapolis suburb. Potter subsequently resigned and has been charged with second-degree manslaughter.