Eagles rookie linebacker Myke Tavarres said Monday that he would not be standing during the national anthem when the Eagles play the Jets in their final preseason game on Thursday.
Tavarres said he felt his pride and that he was “definitely going to stand my ground” in the face of any backlash. As it turns out, Tavarres will be standing on the ground during the playing of the national anthem.
Tavarres’ agent Corey Williams said that he advised his client to reverse course on his plan to sit during the national anthem and that Tavarres agreed.
“Myke does not want to be a distraction to the Philadelphia Eagles organization,” Williams said to Tim McManus of ESPN.com. “Myke’s goal is and always will be to make the Eagles 53-man roster and help the team win a Super Bowl.”
Eagles coach Doug Pederson released a statement of their own concerning players standing during the anthem.
“We respect the national anthem, its history and our many freedoms as Americans that it celebrates,” Pederson said. “We also respect an individual’s freedom of expression.”
Pederson’s statement suggests that Tavarres wouldn’t have jeopardized his chances of making the team if he had sat during the anthem, although the change in course suggests Tavarres and his agent weren’t quite so sure what the fallout would be.