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Brian Nemhauser·
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An Apology and a Call to Action

I made a mistake in how I handled part of the Real Hawk Talk episode last night. I want to set the record straight.

 

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Brian Nemhauser
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Previous Real Hawk Talk Episode 12: Protests, Justice, and Plenty of Seahawks Football
Next Week 4 Seahawks Chat with Softy: Previewing the Colts

17 Comments

  2. Wow. Just wow. Articulate intelligent thoughts on a difficult subject and went right to the core issue. That was informative and delicately done also. I am not a fan boy but sir your voice will have more resonance with me from now on. And the challenge is for all reasonable caring people to heed this call to action in a serious and thoughtful way. Thanks.

  3. Do you know if the Seahawks will be protesting again Sunday. I am making weekend pans and I don’t want to waste planning to watch the game if I’m going to see more of the same disgusting behavior.

    1. Sorry you feel it is disgusting. I don’t like it either, but I hope you agree we want police and innocent civilians to be safe. Boycotting doesn’t make anything better. It just further divides us. Let’s do the hard work to make the country better even if it means we have to work with people we do not agree with

  4. Well said how refreshing to listen to someone with the perspective on the actual issue these athletes are trying to get us to understand. It is so disheartening to hear people talk about disrespecting veterans and the flag. That is not what we should be discussing it is a distraction.

  5. Brian,

    We all know that you are a fundamentally good person. We know that if we disagree with you about this or something else, or if things were poorly said or poorly understood, you are one of the good guys. Do not doubt yourself.

  6. Brian you will never win when there is POLITICS in football. The NFL has done this to themselves. No matter how you feel it will always be wrong to some.
    I have stopped watching not just because of the Flag but that was the FINAL straw for me. The NFL bringing social justice (politics) in more and more makes it hard to watch. They (TV networks) didn’t show the anthem but show the protesters protesting the anthem/flag.
    Last year linking arms was a cop out. They were appeasing some players so they wouldn’t sit during the anthem. What they were telling me was we found a more respectful way to protest the anthem and we will do it as a team. They are still protesting no matter how they try and spin it. What Trump said spoke for many fans who never had a voice and to see the NFL turn around and say F U to many of us who are proud americans was a slap in my face.
    Until the social justice queens in the NFL stop with their crap, I’m done.
    Just wanted to let you know there’s no need to apologize because that’s how we got in this mess in the first place.
    I loved Pete Carroll and put up with his raw raw stuff but this team who put 12 feathers on the uniforms for the FANS have pissied all over 1/2 of us.
    This team has turned into politicians not football players.
    I loved your podcasts and will miss them but got to move on to something other than the NFL.
    Oh yea I was not a fair weathered fan either. Was a fan since 76.

    1. Hi curt,

      Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. I believe politics has always been a part of sports, especially the NFL. We salute military members and veterans at every game. We have flybys during the anthem that cost thousands and thousands of taxpayer dollars. There is a whole month dedicated to salute to service. There are jerseys and gear with military camo. We raise money for various charities and disaster relief efforts.

      I don’t think it’s too much to ask that we also consider addressing a crisis impacting citizen and police officer safety. My hope is that we can be very selective in what times this sort of thing comes up because sports are an escape.

      Closing yourself off won’t make the world better. I hope you find a way to work with others to find a productive path forward that you believe in versus just walking away.

      Take care,
      Brian

    2. What’s being done to minorities by the police is not politics, it’s racism. What’s being done to all of us, white, black, etc. by police and their shoot first mentality is not politics, it’s fascism.

      And blindly standing for the flag despite what’s going on around you is not patriotism, it’s jingoism.

  7. Pro football is designed to be entertainment. Once you drag politics into the package, the direction shifts. I invest a great deal of my time and money into following this team and I would prefer these 3 hours on Sunday to be about sport. If Michael and Doug want to use their status to promote their causes, fine, but that needs to be done off the field. Imagine if Nordstrom’s cosmetics salespeople decided to all get out from behind the makeup counters and raise a fist for action against animal testing. How long would Nordstrom tolerate that?

    I want the Seahawks to win and I believe these protests do not further that goal. I also believe that many who support the anthem protests do so with a political agenda in mind and the fact that you have to apologize for your stance speaks volumes. There are fans who have been pushed away and they won’t be back.

    Pete says there is a feeling in the clubhouse that the team wants to get back to football. Me, too.

    2. So Jim, you feel that equal rights for all is a “political agenda”? That speaks volumes about you.

  8. I’m very proud of the Seahawks for leading the way on this issue and support them entirely. I would be very disappointed if they stop kneeling until the issue of racism by our police force is addressed. If that means they keep kneeling for the next 4 years, then so be it.

    I’ll be kneeling at every game I go to, be it football or little league until the issue is meaningfully addressed. Kudos to you sir for a thoughtful response.

  9. Scott,

    One side seeks for individuals to understand and be heard, but yet when the other side says, “Hey, we will listen, but please stand for 3 minutes of your time to respect the flag” MB and other NFL players don’t reciprocate. Does he truly want dialogue or is this just about him being heard and the rest of us not having input or ideas in his course of dialogue from the other side?

    Before you give me the standard retort, “It is his 1st Amendment right”, I am in agreement with you. But also, it is NFL fan’s & a portion of the Hawk fan base 1st Amendment right to say, “I’m not in agreement.” The NFL ratings dip show this, the revenue loss is a direct result of Kaep/MB and other NFL players anthem protest and actions. Athletes always need to remember, the fans have the true power and not the other way around. Fans pay their salaries, buy their gear and listen to them under a couple of conditions: treat the fans with respect and know your fan base (meaning: the major of sports fans, especially NFL fans, are white, male and hold traditional American values). This relationship dynamic was brought back into perspective by the fans to NFL athletes. Unfortunately, I believe the NFL has lost lifelong fans because of these anthem protests. So, the lesson is $$$ talks and social justice has a place and forum outside of an actual NFL game. Don’t agree with me, ask DirectTV, NFL sponsors (who have told the NFL they are at the point they will pull their advertising due to the anthem protest backlash) and read multiple sources other than those on the left and you will see folks just want football without the politics.

    Also, don’t forget several things folks struggle with regarding Kaep (wearing socks with pigs depicted as cops, the Fidel Castro shirt which is a complete hypocrisy to the social justice cause and American Cuban community and he refused to accept a backup role anywhere and then threw NFL organizations under the bus) & MB (upon reviewing the MB/LVPD video tape in Vegas released last Friday; MB’s account doesn’t square with what he said in his statement. If you have questions go to outkickthecoverage.com for a fair, accurate and legal based account of MB/LVPD incident. For the record, Clay is a Democrat/Libertarian before you say he’s a right wing Trump supporter.

    Also, MB and Kaep would receive much more support if they would be willing to discuss the following topics in the African American community:
    1) Helping African American men become strong fathers like Bennett (by all accounts he is a great father and he should highlight this)
    2) Getting an education and the value of that (Bennett is very smart and I know he more than a football player)
    3) What is equality in his eyes? Equality is great, but it means something different to each individual person. A clear outlined set of ideals would help more of us understand his concept of equality. We may not agree on everything, but I believe we can find common ground.
    I like Bennett and I think he has some strong personal attributes he could use even more to his advantage to engage folks from all walks of lives in his cause.

    Regarding DT’s “sob” comment, talk to most civil human beings (myself included) and they will agree DT went too far. Do I wish he wouldn’t have said this, yes. Was it out of bounds? Yes. Should the ref have thrown a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct on DT for the comment? Yes. I know MB does a lot of good deeds and work in the community. I would be all for DT and MB sitting down and listening to each other and coming up with a fantastic program designed to create a better environment between LE and African American communities.

    In regards to police brutality, I have not talked to one person who isn’t behind getting rid of bad apples in LE. In fact, a lot of my family is in the LE field and if there’s a bad officer they want them gone. Why? It makes their job harder and is a bad representation of them. I can definitely understand that issue.

    In conclusion, there are two simple resolutions to interactions with all human beings: treat others how you want to be treated and love thy neighbor. It isn’t complicated regardless of race, color, gender, sexual orientation.

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