Charles Woodson had to show support to the military as soon as he arrived at Oakland Raiders training camp. Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal noticed the NFL legend at camp and the first thing he did was sign autographs for all the members of the U.S. Air Force in attendance.
Former Raiders DB Charles Woodson signs autographs at Napa training camp for members of U.S. Air Force. pic.twitter.com/kVk0XD2qY0
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) August 8, 2019
It’s clear Woodson has nothing but love for the men and women who defend the United States. But when it comes to the leader of the country, President Donald Trump, that’s a different story. Woodson talked about Trump on ESPN Radio last year and he didn’t like the fact that the president is making kneeling during the national anthem about the military.
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“It’s just odd to me, Woodson said. “I feel like that we allowed one of the most disrespectful people that this country has known, our President, make this a situation where he puts athletes against our military. That blows my mind that as a society we allowed that to happen.”
Woodson went on to say after Trump ran with the narrative, the owners and fans did the same thing and it makes the players look like they don’t like the military or the country. The 2009 Defensive Player of the Year was also not happy with the possibility of players being suspended if they protest during the national anthem.
“It’s saddening to me that all of a sudden now you get a report that guys are going to get suspended you know because they are disrespecting the flag or something like that,” Woodson said. “I just think it’s sad, man. That this is the place where were at we’ve allowed someone to come in and divide us the way that they’ve over the course of a couple years. I almost don’t know what to say.”
Woodson started his NFL career in 1998 as he was drafted by the Raiders No. 4 overall. He was with Oakland until the end of the 2005 season and he joined the Green Bay Packers in 2006. The Michigan alum was in Green Bay for seven seasons and he returned to the Raiders to finish out his career. Woodson is a first-ballot Hall of Famer as he’s been selected to the Pro Bowl nine times, he’s been named to the All-Pro Team eight times and he helped the Packers win the Super Bowl in 2010.
