Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella has changed his tune on anthem protests

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella has dropped his hard-line stance against those who would protest during the playing of the U.S. national anthem. He also has a suggestion for a way the sports world could help the country unite.

This is a deeply personal topic for Tortorella and his entire family, as his son, Nick Tortorella, 30, is an Army Ranger. As the anthem plays before NHL games, the 62-year-old coach whispers a prayer while standing on the bench with his players.

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But Tortorella told The Athletic on Wednesday that his position has changed through “listening and watching” over the past few years, and especially in recent weeks as protests have been staged in Columbus and across the country following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

“When I stand for the flag and the national anthem, my reflection is solely on the men and women who have given their lives defending our country and constitution and freedom, along with those who are serving today,” Tortorella said.

“I have learned over the years, listening and watching, that men and women who choose to kneel during this time mean no disrespect toward the flag.”

That’s a dramatic change for Tortorella from just four years ago.

At the World Cup of Hockey in 2016, Tortorella, Team USA’s coach in the tournament, famously told ESPN’s Linda Cohn: “If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game.”

At that time, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick had ignited a firestorm across the country by sitting during the national anthem before NFL games. (He was later convinced by former NFL player and Green Beret Nate Boyer to kneel during the anthem instead of sit.)

J.T. Brown, then a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and one of the 25 or so black players in the NHL at the time, responded to Tortorella on Twitter: “Wouldn’t benching a black man for taking a stance only further prove (Kaepernick’s) point of oppression?”

Brown later clarified his comments to reporter Joe Smith, then of the Tampa Bay Times.

“(Tortorella) sees the situation through his reality, and I see it through mine, as a black athlete in the NHL,” Brown said. “I know I’m not on the United States World Cup roster, but I have had a chance to represent my country on other occasions. My tweet was a hypothetical. What if I took a stance to promote awareness for one of the many injustices still occurring in our country and was punished despite there being no rule or law against it? My tweet was a response to that question.”

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On Wednesday, though, Tortorella said he would no longer punish a player who wanted to protest.

“The World Cup is a little bit of a different story; that’s playing for your country,” Tortorella said. “But that isn’t now.

“I would hope that if one of my players wanted to protest during the anthem, he would bring it to me and we would talk about it, tell me his thoughts and what he wanted to do. From there, we would bring it to the team to discuss it, much like it’s being discussed in our country right now.

“How can we rectify some of these problems?”

Brown, now 29, who played for Iowa in the AHL this past season, spoke with Smith again today. He saw it as a good sign of the conversation moving forward that people like Tortorella are changing their minds.

“I think it’s big of somebody, especially Tortorella, who had a hard stance earlier. To say he listened and changed his mind, realized what the protests were actually about — it takes a lot to see you may have been wrong.

“I never really had a problem with Tortorella,” Brown continued. “But from my perspective, changing your mind is definitely hard to do. I get in arguments with my wife and it’s hard to change my mind. To say, ‘I may not have got it right the first time,’ that takes a big person to admit that. Maybe it’s not that his stance was wrong the first time, but now he’s listened and learned from it. More props to anybody that takes the time to look and listen and make decisions based on that and not doubling down and staying with the old stance.”

While some have suggested no longer playing the national anthem before games — it has been the norm across the sports world since the mid-1940s — Tortorella would like to see something new in addition to the anthem.

He wants to add a “moment” before the anthem for fans to reflect on the country’s history of racial injustice.

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“I do believe in our right to peaceful protest,” Tortorella said. “Why do we have to choose sides during this time? Can we not share a moment of unity and reflection prior to the national anthem dedicated to protesting the racial injustice in our world?

“It’s my choice to stand in respect and gratitude to those who have and still serve to protect our country and constitution and the civil rights of all people. This is by no means a show of disrespect. My family and I care deeply about the families who have suffered loss from unfair, unjust treatment. We support the peaceful protest for change.”

Earlier this week, seven NHL players of color announced the formation of the Hockey Diversity Alliance, headed by former NHLer Akim Aliu and current player Evander Kane of the San Jose Sharks.

Several NHL players, including Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno and forward Cam Atkinson, have issued statements on social media committing to learning about racial inequality and helping in the push for change.

(Top photo: Tom Szczerbowski / Getty Images)

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