Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella changes his stance on anthem protests

John Tortorella famously stated in 2016 that any of his players that protest the anthem would ride the bench.

The world at large is reexamining its stances on racial inequality and police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police in late May. Surprisingly, hockey has also seen a wave of support wash through the sport over the last few weeks, from statements to players joining protests.

While the NHL and its teams’ response has been a mixed bag, since words require follow up action to be truly meaningful, one head coach has turned around on his previous stance against the national anthem protests. John Tortorella, head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, previously took a stance against players protesting during the national anthem, but according to The Athletic, he has since reversed course.

“When I stand for the flag and the national anthem, my reflection is solely on the men and women who have given their lives defending our country and constitution and freedom, along with those who are serving today,” Tortorella said.

“I have learned over the years, listening and watching, that men and women who choose to kneel during this time mean no disrespect toward the flag.”

John Tortorella comes around on national anthem protests

Of course, the protests during the anthem — which started with Colin Kaepernick in 2016 — were never about the flag, they were to raise awareness for police brutality against the black community and the systemic racism that permeates our society. After Kaepernick’s first protest, Tortorella came out with a harsh stance against the protests, stating that he’d bench players who protested on Team USA during the World Cup of Hockey.

“If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game.” Tortorella said.

Now, however, Tortorella has stated that he is listening and is willing to discuss a player’s protest of the national anthem in a respectful manner.

“I would hope that if one of my players wanted to protest during the anthem, he would bring it to me and we would talk about it, tell me his thoughts and what he wanted to do. From there, we would bring it to the team to discuss it, much like it’s being discussed in our country right now.”

While hockey hasn’t had many players publicly protest during games before, former Tampa Bay Lightning forward J.T. Brown raised his fist during the anthem before a regular season game in 2017. It remains to be seen if other players will protest in different ways when the NHL makes its return from its season pause later this year.

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