Giants Manager Refuses To Take Field For National Anthem

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler said he wanted to make a gesture to say that he's 'not ok' with the state of the country after this week's horrific elementary school shooting in Texas. He is refusing to take the field for the national anthem. Indefinitely.

“I don’t plan on coming out for the anthem going forward until I feel better about the direction of our country” – Gabe Kapler pic.twitter.com/J1MdlVL3XI

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 27, 2022

"I don't plan on coming out for the anthem going forward until I feel better about the direction of our country,'' Kapler told reporters. "I don't expect it to move the needle necessarily. It's just something that I feel strongly enough about to take that step.''

He said he first felt the urge to do something while standing during the anthem on Wednesday, the day after the shootings, but was worried about being taken the wrong way. "My brain said drop to a knee; my body didn't listen. I wanted to walk back inside; instead I froze. I felt like a coward. I didn't want to call attention to myself. I didn't want to take away from the victims or their families... I wish I hadn't let my discomfort compromise my integrity."

Kapler says he's sick and tired of "glorifying the ONLY country where these mass shootings take place... I am not okay with the state of this country."

The Giants manager joins the likes of Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr in coming out to express their horror and dissatisfaction with the direction of the U.S. 

Photo Credit:  Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports