At the opening ceremony of the game between San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, organizers took a moment to honor the Black Lives Matter movement. But the Giants Pitcher, Sam Coonrod, stood strong in his faith by refusing to kneel.
Giants Pitcher
“I meant no ill will by it,” Coonrod declared. “I don’t think I’m better than anybody. I’m just a Christian; I believe I can’t kneel before anything but God, Jesus Christ.”
He continued, “I chose not to kneel. I feel if I did kneel I’d be a hypocrite. I don’t want to be a hypocrite.”
Sam Coonrod
Giants manager, Gabe Kepler, was seen kneeling during the event. Despite his choice, he still respected Coonrod’s stand. He said, “We were going to let people express themselves. We were going to give them the choice on whether they were going to stand, kneel, or do something else.”
Apparently, the 27-year-old Christian athlete was the only one who did not kneel from both teams. Moreover, he explained that he disagrees with some of the views of the Black Lives Matter Organization.
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“I just can’t get on board with a couple things I’ve read about Black Lives Matter, how they lean towards Marxism,” he told TMZ Sports. “And … they said some negative things about the nuclear family. I just can’t get on board with that.”
Coonrod hopes that people will learn to respect others’ choices even though it does not align with their own. “People get mad whenever someone disagrees. I’m not mad at someone who decided to kneel. I just don’t think it’s too much to ask that I just get the same respect.”
In support to Coonrod’s stand
Many Christian leaders supported Coonrod’s gesture. Evangelist Franklin Graham posted on Twitter referencing the event. “I appreciate that Sam Coonrod’s commitment is to the Lord Jesus Christ above all else. He has enough guts to state the truth about the Black Lives Matters organization & to stand for his convictions—even if it means standing alone. God bless him!,” he shared.
I appreciate that Sam Coonrod’s commitment is to the Lord Jesus Christ above all else. He has enough guts to state the truth about the Black Lives Matters organization & to stand for his convictions—even if it means standing alone. God bless him! https://t.co/sz3r9sn9OV
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) July 25, 2020
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