Gabe Kapler said Monday that he planned to suspend his protest and stand on the field for the national anthem before the San Francisco Giants’ Memorial Day game at Citizens Bank Park.
Kapler, the Giants manager and former Phillies skipper, announced over the weekend that he wouldn’t come out for the anthem in the aftermath of the shooting deaths last week of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.
“Today, I’ll be standing for the anthem,” Kapler wrote Monday on his personal blog. “While I believe strongly in the right to protest and the importance of doing so, I also believe strongly in honoring and mourning our country’s servicemen and women who fought and died for that right. Those who serve in our military, and especially those who have paid the ultimate price for our rights and freedoms, deserve that acknowledgment and respect, and I am honored to stand on the line today to show mine.”
Kapler said he spoke to veterans and “some people who are invested in gun control” before making his decision. He wouldn’t say if he has decided whether to resume his protest Tuesday.
“I understand that these are divisive issues,” Kapler said before the Giants opened a three-game series with the Phillies. “I’m not caught off guard. The way I see it is anything that sparks thoughtful conversation is good.”
Kapler also announced plans to donate to two organizations: Everytown, which is dedicated to ending gun violence, and Heart & Armor, a group devoted to veterans’ health.
