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Orlando Magic players have no plans to protest during national anthem

By Philip Rossman-Reich

ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 26: The Orlando Magic and Miami Heat during a ceremony including a moment of silence for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting victims before the home opener on October 26, 2016 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Gary Bassing/NBAE via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 26: The Orlando Magic and Miami Heat during a ceremony including a moment of silence for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting victims before the home opener on October 26, 2016 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Gary Bassing/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Orlando Magic decided as a team not to make any demonstrations during the national anthem, hoping to work for racial justice and equality off the court.

Orlando Magic players met Sunday as a team to discuss whether they would make any kind of showing or protest coinciding with the national anthem.

The team decided not to make any demonstrations in conjunction with the national anthem, opting to express support for racial equality and rejection of police brutality in other manners, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports. The team also does not plan to lock arms, as several NBA teams did last year as a sign of unity and demonstration against racial injustice in the United States.

Throughout media day and training camp when media asked players and management whether they would make any showing or demonstration during the national anthem, everyone deferred. They stated the team would hold a meeting to decide what to do.

President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman encouraged this meeting and promised he would support the players no matter what they decided to do.

"“It’s obviously a very weighty issue and it is at the forefront of all of our thoughts as sports employees and as fans,” Weltman told Orlando Magic Daily at media day last week. “It is at the forefront of a lot of our discussions as well. The landscape of this conversation is changing as we stand here right now.“This is something that is changing. This is a real issue. And it’s something that I think our players, our fans and all of our NBA community cares greatly about. In all honesty, to come up with a quick answer would be kind of doing a disservice to all of our fans and the issue itself. This is something we need to evaluate, speak to our NBA peers about. I think that our goal organizationally is to use our platform to bring people together. Hopefully, we are able to do that.”"

Weltman said he hoped to put the players in a position for thoughtful dialogue and address and discuss all the nuances of the issue. The one thing Weltman said he would not do is direct any player on the team how to act.

The Magic, in their meeting, decided to act for this cause in a different manner. Their decision not to make a demonstration during the national anthem is not ignoring the purpose of the protest, players on the team suggested to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.

As a team, it appears the group decided to focus on coming together as a team. They wanted to put their focus before games on their task between the lines, so to speak.

"“There’s injustice and we understand that,” Aaron Gordon told the Orlando Sentinel in Memphis on Monday. “We want there to be that message, and there is that message. But for us, it’s about this team. It’s about unifying as a team and coming together and winning a basketball game. Off the court, we need to take action towards being proactive in that area. But as a basketball team, we need to unify. We all come from different walks of life, but our message is love and caring and compassion for each other. So we’re here standing as a team and that’s what we decided on.”"

The NBA has sent some mixed signals on its support for any protest similar to the ones that have populated the NFL for the last two seasons.

A statement from commissioner Adam Silver encouraged players to speak their minds and be active in their communities to pursue issues of social justice. But Silver’s office also sent a memo to teams stating it would enforce the league’s rule requiring players to stand.

Overall, the league has been proactive about addressing the issues Colin Kaepernick initially brought up last year in the NFL preseason when he at first sat for the national anthem and then took a knee during the national anthem.

Kaepernick’s actions were to protest police brutality and law enforcement’s unequal treatment of Black Americans.

The protest quickly got morphed into something it is not by outside forces. And that tension got stoked when President Donald Trump brought up the issue two weeks ago at a campaign rally in Alabama. In his speech the President said it would be great for owners to fire players for kneeling during the anthem, perceiving the protest as a disrespect of the flag rather than a peaceful protest and call to attention toward an important issue. That statement spurred more NFL players to make some kind of demonstration during the national anthem that weekend, sparking discussion and debate throughout the country.

That same weekend, the President got into a spat with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors as the team set to meet on whether to accept an invitation to visit the White House, as is customary for championship teams. That spat spurred harsh words against the President from LeBron James.

In response to the initial wave of protests last year, the league encouraged its franchises to set up community meetings and town halls to address issues of racial inequality and bridge the divide between communities.

NBA players took a forward stance in speaking out against racial injustice, highlighted with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul addressing the entire sports world at the ESPYs last year.

They certainly recognize how much work they have to do and the force the NBA can be in this realm. While making a specific protest is not for everyone, it would appear Magic players understand the message and the issue the protest is meant to address.

"“It’s courageous for them to be out there and take a knee, I’m all for it,” Elfrid Payton told Orlando Magic Daily at Media Day last week. “I’m more about trying to change communities. Not to take away from what they are doing, I’m more about trying to get out there and try to change outside the game time.”"

Elfrid Payton described taking a knee as the first step. He said he hoped the NFL players — or anyone else — who kneeled will take the next step and make an impact in their community.

The Magic, at least publicly during the national anthem, will steer clear. They will surely be hosting events within the community and doing their part to bridge the divides in this country.

Next: Orlando Magic eager to set tone in first preseason game

But the team decided not to use the national anthem as a vehicle to raise awareness to these important issues.