Darryl Strawberry on NFL anthem protests: Leave politics alone

Four-time World Series champion Darryl Strawberry joined FOX Business on Tuesday and discussed NFL anthem protests.

“The National Anthem stands for what America is all about regardless of what’s happening,” he told Dagen McDowell on Mornings with Maria.

NFL free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick sparked the debate during the 2016 season while playing for the San Francisco 49ers when he refused to stand for the National Anthem to protest social injustice, but in Strawberry’s opinion athletes shouldn’t play politics.

“I would tell them, really leave the politics alone as far as your job. You go out and do your job and play sports because you only really have [a] one-time window open to play sports and have an impact and sports is going to pass away, but what legacy will you leave in life? And that’s the most important thing,” Strawberry said.

The former New York Mets and New York Yankees player also discussed how he would have reacted if it were his own teammates.

While everybody is entitled to stand up for what they believe in, it’s important for the nation to work together, he said.

“I wouldn’t do it and I’m not against guys that are doing it, but we have a problem in America, and we need to come together as people, not color but as people. And we need to understand that God has a perfect plan for all of us to come together and love each other and really work together and I think when we work against each other, it separates us.”