Steve Kerr Supports Gabe Kapler Protesting National Anthem, Because of Course He Does

Because of course he does.

Devoted gun control spokesman and occasional professional basketball coach Steve Kerr has spoken out to support fellow Bay Area coach Gabe Kapler, who has decided not to participate in pre-game national anthem ceremonies until he feels “better about the direction of our country.”

Kapler, who manages the San Francisco Giants, also released a message on his personal website KapLifestyle.com, which reads in part:

“When I was the same age as the children in Uvalde, my father taught me to stand for the pledge of allegiance when I believed my country was representing its people well or to protest and stay seated when it wasn’t. I don’t believe it is representing us well right now.”

Kapler knelt during the national anthem in 2020 in the wake of the death of George Floyd and just a couple of months ago called the term “motherf—–” racist, so he has a history of weighing in on highly-charged issues.

He says he’s not going to kneel this time though. He’s just not going to come out for the national anthem at all, and Steve Kerr is standing by his side:

“I always support any form of peaceful protest. That’s what our country is founded on,” Kerr said Sunday. “I think it’s great that he is making his own statement.”

Here’s the rest from Kerr:

“I always support any form of peaceful protest.”

Steve Kerr applauded Giants manager Gabe Kapler for his decision not to take the field during the national anthem pic.twitter.com/4TcRPbUVw1

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 29, 2022

“I think it’s important for everybody to express their frustration, their disgust, their anger, whatever it is in any way that they deem fitting. I support everybody’s right to demand better from our country.”

It was obvious as soon as Kapler made the decision to opt out of the national anthem that he was doing so just to keep pace with Kerr’s own gun control activism. With the horrific shooting in Uvalde and his own father’s death at the hands of Islamic extremists as a backdrop, Kerr announced last week that he had partnered with noted anti-2A lobbying group Brady Campaign and sought donations on the group’s behalf.

So now we have two professional coaches in San Francisco crossing swords over who can advocate the hardest against the people’s right to bear arms. Can’t wait until the Chase Center announcer and Jumbotron get in on this one as well.