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XFL Owner Says Players Will Stand for Anthem, Then ESPN Host Go Off on Air

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It looks like the guys over at ESPN are a little irritated that Vince McMahon is reviving the XFL.

On the network’s “Pardon the Interruption,” on Thursday co-host Michael Wilbon weighed in on the matter and claimed the league was “whitewashed” and “garbage.”

Wilbon told host Tony Kornheiser that the XFL would be “whitewashed” because it would require players to stand for the national anthem and would not allow athletes with criminal records to play.

Imagine football players who stand respectfully during “The Star-Spangled Banner” and teams whose players aren’t thugs.

Somehow, that is an offensive notion to Wilbon.

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“(I)t seems like just garbage — like he wants to sell some sort of whitewashed, idealistic brand of something to the country,” he said.

He went on to speculate that fans would not go for it.

“I don’t think people are going to buy that. I don’t think you have enough people to fill the spots to even play it,” he said.

“The game is going to end in two hours, you can’t have a criminal record, you can’t have any rebels because you’re all going to salute the flag. I don’t believe in people like this. I don’t believe in this guy, specifically.”

Will you watch XFL games?

Wilbon clearly does not get it.

Watch some of his comments below:



He made it sound as though football teams cannot be successful unless players are criminals and protest the anthem.

And his claim that fans will not buy into it remains to be seen. He may think that Americans do not want more football, and judging by the NFL’s ratings, you could make that argument.

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However, one reason why the NFL’s ratings took a beating this year is because fans are not particularly interested in watching football players show disrespect to our nation and our flag while making millions of dollars.

Wilbon’s remarks would be funny if they were not so pathetic.

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