Pitt kicker kneels for national anthem; Narduzzi, players give support
After Pitt kicker Ian Troost knelt for the national anthem Saturday before his team's game against N.C. State, coach Pat Narduzzi said he supports his players' First Amendment rights.
“I'm never going to tell a guy you can't do something,” he said.
But he added, “I know I'm going to stand and put my hand over my heart.”
The controversy that has divided the NFL, with some players kneeling during the anthem to protest what they perceive as social injustice, emerged Saturday at Heinz Field.
Troost, a junior walk-on from Portsmouth, N.H., knelt while the Pitt band played the national anthem. Senior Jaryd Jones-Smith, a starter at offensive tackle, stood behind him with his hand on Troost's shoulder.
Neither Troost, 21, nor Jones-Smith, 22, were made available for comment after the game.
“What we've talked about is, if you're going to do that, you're trying to make a statement, we're going to stick together,” Narduzzi said. “Someone had his hand on his shoulder saying, ‘We're with you.' ''
Senior cornerback Avonte Maddox said he has “100 percent” support for Troost, who was “Roc,” the Pitt mascot, before he became a kicker.
But Maddox wonders whether kneeling helps any cause.
“Is really taking that knee going to prove anything?” he said. “That's a statement for 30 seconds. You want to take action.
“If you really want to get out and do something, we want to go out in the real world and do things to make actual change, not 30 seconds of fame making a statement out there. Is that really going to help us?”
But he added of Troost, “I feel where you're coming from. If I was next to him, I would have done the same thing (that Jones-Smith did).”
Maddox said he never has considered kneeling for the anthem.
“I'm just a football player,” he said. “I come to play football, not to fight with what's going on out there with the politics or what's going on in the world.”
Junior offensive tackle Brian O'Neill also supports his teammate, adding he's “not sure” what public reaction might occur.
“With a lot of stuff going on in the NFL, there are a lot of sensitive subjects,” he said. “It's a big deal in society today. All I know is what I can control. He has my full support. He has the locker room's full support and the coach's full support.
“Just because we don't do the same thing doesn't mean we're against it. My take is everyone should be able to do what they think is needed to express themselves.”
Junior linebacker Sean Idowu said he “respects what the flag stands for.”
But he added, “Everybody has their own freedom to do as they please.”
Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.
