In the days following the racially-motivated church shootings in Charleston, South Carolina, politicians, media outlets, celebrities and everyday citizens have debated over whether the Confederate Flag should hang on the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse. The Carolina Panthers have now added their two cents into the conversation.
Panthers owner Jerry Richardson already donated $100,000 to the victims of the shooting late last week, and his team has now voiced their desire that the Confederate flag be removed from public display. While the Panthers play in Charlotte, North Carolina, they’ve marketed themselves to both North and South as they enter their 21st year as a franchise. The team played home games at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium during their inaugural season in 1995, and recently extended their agreement to have training camp at Wofford College through 2019.
The Panthers join the likes of South Carolina head football coach Steve Spurrier, former Gamecocks quarterback Connor Shaw and other influential sports figures from the area who’ve voiced out against the flag.
“Any flag that contradicts everything our Country flag represents, it shouldn’t fly,” Shaw tweeted. “We ALL stand united.”
Joseph Person and Jonathan Jones of The Charlotte Observer reported on Monday that the Panthers are now supporting the removal of the Confederate Flag.
“Our organization prides itself on bringing people together,” Panthers spokesman Steven Drummond said. “Divisive symbols and actions should not stand in conflict to progress, healing and the unification of all our citizens.”
Players were slower to offer a stance than the team as a whole. The Observer claims it reached out to 10 Panthers players and received zero responses.
Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson, however, took to the internet to offer his take on the flag. The 34-year-old attended high school in South Carolina.
“The past and its people, as acclaimed or afflicted as they may be, should always be remembered,” Watson said. “But it is difficult to completely ‘move forward’ if painful, divisive icons continue to stand unchallenged.
Watson’s full statement (from Facebook) can be read here.
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