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Former Penn State RB Larry Johnson offers his thoughts on anthem protests

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Kneeling during the national anthem has been a hot-button issue for the NFL for the entirety of the 2017 season. There have been plenty of debates, arguments and discussions about the matter ever since last season, when Colin Kaepernick started the movement to bring awareness to police brutality towards minority.

Nearly everyone associated with the NFL has been asked for their opinion on the subject and there have been plenty of different responses.

On Friday afternoon, former NFL and Penn State running back Larry Johnson offered his thoughts on the anthem protests, and it’s one of the more interesting statements made. While Johnson respects players’ decision to protest, he pointed to family members who have served in the military and said respects the men in his family “who all survived war so I could be here.”

That’s a pretty powerful message from Johnson and it’s an interesting perspective.

Johnson had a tremendous career at Penn State, particularly in 2002, his final year with the program. He rushed for 2,087 yards and 20 touchdowns on the season and added 349 yards and three scores as a receiver.

He finished his career with more than 4,000 all-purpose yards and 36 total touchdowns.

Johnson went on to play nine seasons in the NFL, most of those with the Kansas City Chiefs. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2005 and 2006.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB