In the hours following the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke out on gun violence in the United States. He’s now been joined by another San Francisco coach — Gabe Kapler, manager of the San Francisco Giants.
Kapler penned a post about the shooting. In it, he said a lot about the shooting and the frustrations he has with the current state of the country.
In it, he talked about a lesson his father taught him regarding standing for the pledge of allegiance.
“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.”
He added that following the shooting, he wanted to kneel during the Star-Spangled Banner which preceded that night’s game. Ultimately, though, he didn’t, saying that “My brain said drop to a knee; my body didn’t listen. I wanted to walk back inside; instead I froze. I felt like a coward.”
Kapler then finished his blog with:
“But I am not okay with the state of this country. I wish I hadn’t let my discomfort compromise my integrity. I wish that I could have demonstrated what I learned from my dad, that when you’re dissatisfied with your country, you let it be known through protest. The home of the brave should encourage this.”
As was the case with Kerr, Kapler’s words drew a strong reaction. And while there were some detractors, the overwhelming sentiment was support.
Steve Kerr isn’t the only Bay Area coach/manager willing to speak up. Well done @gabekapler https://t.co/maUa1Gognd
— Ron Kroichick (@ronkroichick) May 27, 2022
Measured but powerful words from the Giants manager, adding his voice to the many calling for change in the wake of the Texas shooting https://t.co/QGAzb8VEe4
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) May 27, 2022
https://twitter.com/iAmRa92/status/1530284922849615872
Kapler spittin https://t.co/vUQlzfNpU0
— local bIogger (@fergoe) May 27, 2022
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 https://t.co/Rc3zr1HS0J
— Ashley Wittgren, MS CSCS (@ashleyecrosby) May 27, 2022
I wish more of us had this sort of courage. https://t.co/ZrEkm2IJPq
— Rob Neyer (@robneyer) May 27, 2022
Phenomenal post by the manager of MLB’s San Francisco Giants. https://t.co/IJ8aB1b1iD
— Andy McGeady (@andymcgeady) May 27, 2022
