Trump Honors Football Players Suspended for Carrying Pro-Police Flag
President Donald Trump honored two Ohio football players who were suspended from their team and then reinstated for carrying flags recognizing first responders on the field before a football game on Sept. 11.
At a rally in Swanton, Ohio, the Republican president called Brady Williams and Jarad Bentley of Little Miami High School to the stage to recognize them for their actions ahead of a football game on the anniversary of the terror attacks, WKYC-TV reported.
“I want to congratulate you. You’ve become famous,” Trump told the students.
“You’re doing great! And everyone out here loves you and appreciates you.”
He added, “Thank you for supporting the heroes in our law enforcement.”
When Willams and Bentley were denied permission to carry flags onto the field before the game, they chose to do it anyway.
Bentley carried out a “thin red line” flag honoring firefighters, while Williams carried out a “thin blue line” flag to honor police officers:
Two Little Miami football players pay the price for civil disobedience. They were told not to carry onto the field thin blue line and thin red line flags at their 9/11 game. They did anyway. The school has now suspended them from the team indefinitely. #ThinBlueLine #ThinRedLine pic.twitter.com/19y9GAvaxr
— David Winter (@DavidWinterTV) September 14, 2020
Williams’ father is a police officer in the area and Bentley’s is a firefighter.
The students were suspended indefinitely from the team after Little Miami Superintendent Gregory Power said the flags were “political,” WKRC-TV reported.
Williams and Bentley have both been reinstated to the team after an investigation by the school’s officials.
Bobbie Grice, Little Miami school board president, told The Cincinnati Enquirer that the young men are back on active status.
“The results show that there were no political motivations behind this display of support for first responders on 9/11, but there were stances of insubordination,” Grice said.
“Moving forward, Little Miami is returning the players to active status and this matter will be addressed as an Athletic Department Code of Conduct issue, with any potential consequences to be handled by coaching staff.”
Grice said the only flags that would be allowed on the field for the remainder of the season would be the American flag and the school’s spirit flag.
The story gained national attention after Power told WKRC that he suspended the two boys because “we can’t have students who decide to do something anyway after they’ve been told that they shouldn’t be doing it.”
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