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The coach said he spoke to them about that and other situations that have happened in our country. He then explained why former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick started kneeling during the anthem.
“One of the kids asked, ‘Can we do that?’ I said, ‘As long as we know why we're doing it, I don’t have a problem with any of it.’”
When the anthem started, the Cahokia third graders immediately took a knee where they were standing. Their backs were away from the flag—but not on purpose—according to Gooden.
“What I teach my kids is love, integrity, honesty, fairness, respect and boundaries,” he said.