Before he was a Pittsburgh Steeler, Alejandro Villanueva was an Army Ranger. And, as such, the left tackle has a pointed perspective on the Colin Kaepernick situation that arose when the San Francisco 49ers quarterback didn’t stand for the national anthem before a preseason game.
Villanueva agreed with Kaepernick’s frustration over racial tensions in the U.S.—Villanueva is of Spanish descent—but he doesn’t agree with the way Kaepernick went about expressing that frustration.
The 27-year-old Steeler is a former Army Ranger captain and a rifle platoon leader of the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team. He served three tours in Afghanistan from 2010-13 and was awarded numerous medals for his service, including the Bronze Star Medal for Valor.
Here’s what the Steeler told Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
“I agree that America is not perfect, I agree there are lot of issues with minorities in this country, I agree we should do something about it. But I don’t know if the most effective way is to sit down when the national anthem of the country that is providing you freedom and providing you $60 million [in guaranteed money under a six-year contract] is the best way to do it when there are black minorities that are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan and protecting our freedom for less than $20,000 a year.
“I just know I’m very thankful to be an American. I will stand very proudly and sing every single line of the national anthem every single time I hear it. I will stop whatever I’m doing because I recognize I have to be very thankful to be in this country.
“I tell my teammates all the time, especially when they talk about contracts, I’m one of the cheapest left tackles in the NFL [but] just by being an American I’ve won three lotteries. And if you have a little money on top of me, that means I have 3½ lotteries.
“I’ve been very fortunate to travel a lot and see what it’s like in different countries. I’ve experienced true racism that happens in Europe with a lot of minorities. It’s very difficult for me to be here in America, as grateful as I am, in the best country in the world, and have people not be pleased about it.
“I think he’s obviously upset and I think we all agree, the majority of America would agree, there’s an issue with minorities in our country, the way some groups in our population are being treated. I just think not standing up for America is a little bit unfair on his part because he’s not taking into consideration the minorities that are fighting for the flag, like myself, the thousands of people who lay their lives so he can express himself.”
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