Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy publicly responded for the first time Wednesday to Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly’s severe criticism of McCoy’s protest during Sunday’s national anthem.
McCoy was one of about a dozen Bills players to kneel during the national anthem before the Bills’ win over the Denver Broncos. But in addition to kneeling, McCoy continued going through his warm-up routine during the song, stretching his legs and running in place.
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“I like LeSean McCoy. Don’t get me wrong. But I totally, 100 percent — I disagree with what he did,” Kelly told 97 Rock in Buffalo, New York. “You want to kneel? Fine. But when you go and do what he did yesterday, that sort of bummed me out. And I lost a lot of respect for him. … You want to kneel? That’s your prerogative. I would never do that. I will always stand, thank the good Lord for everything I got. But when you disrespect the way he did and just go by his everyday duty in the national anthem being sung? Uh-uh. I won’t go for that.”
McCoy said Wednesday that he doesn’t regret the way in which he protested the anthem, explaining that he went beyond just kneeling because of Donald Trump’s comments last Friday that players who kneel during the national anthem should be “fired.”
“I was extremely hurt, to be honest,” McCoy said. “Because at first, everybody has their own opinions, like I talked about. People believe in different things; they stand up for what they want to stand up for, that’s their right. And some of the words that the President used, it just rubbed me the wrong way. I was upset and I was frustrated. That’s the way I wanted to express myself at the game. I took a knee. I started stretching. I was angry. I was hurt, just like I said after the game. Somebody like our president, being our leader of this country, where millions and millions and millions of people look at America and see the type of words and things he’s saying about us. I mean, it just got to me. It really did.”
Regarding Jim Kelly’s comments against his protest, McCoy said the following:
“Like I texted him, he said some things to the media that he probably could have said to me. But his opinion, it really doesn’t matter to me. I like Jim Kelly. He texts me and I just told him, ‘Hey, you’re human.’ People have their own opinions. What you said, you don’t have to apologize for it. I don’t think you’re wrong. That’s how he felt. I understand. You’re human and I told him exactly, ‘My respect for you, it hasn’t changed. It’s still very high.’ He’s a hell of a player and I respected him when I met him, and even the relationship I have so far. So it didn’t affect me at all.
“That’s how he felt. I understand. You’re human and I told him exactly, ‘My respect for you, it hasn’t changed. It’s still very high.’ He’s a hell of a player and I respected him when I met him, and even the relationship I have so far. So it didn’t affect me at all.”
McCoy was one of about a dozen Bills players to kneel during the national anthem before the Bills’ win over the Denver Broncos. But in addition to kneeling, McCoy continued going through his warm-up routine during the song, stretching his legs and running in place.
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