Mike Ditka Tells Athletes Kneeling During Anthem To “Get The Hell Out Of The Country”

NFL Hall of Famer and coaching legend Mike Ditka is branching out into new endeavors involving football, starting ‘X League’, a women’s tackle football league. The former Bears coach sat down with TMZ for a virtual interview and when asked about the National Anthem debate if he we would see athletes protesting on his watch, he has some stern answers.

“If you can’t respect our national anthem, get the hell out of the country,” Ditka told the interviewer. “That’s the way I feel. Of course, I’m old fashioned, so I’m only going to say what I feel.”

“I have no respect for Colin Kaepernick – he probably has no respect for me, that’s his choice” Ditka said of Colin Kaepernick in 2016. “My choice is, I like this country, I respect our flag, and I don’t see all the atrocities going on in this country that people say are going on.”

Ditka has maintained his stance against kneels protesting police brutality and racial injustice, notably saying back in 2016 that he has “no respect” for Colin Kaepernick and didn’t see the atrocities going on in this country that he and other athletes said were happening.

inlineg