Former pro boxer and entrepreneur George Foreman spoke out in support of president Donald Trump and criticized Golden State Warriors athlete Kevin Durant and free agent Colin Kaepernick during a podcast Monday.
Speaking on Offended America, Foreman suggested Durant and Kaepernick are unpatriotic because of some of their actions; Kaepernick became infamous for sitting down during renditions of "The Star Spangled Banner," saying he could not show pride for a country that "oppresses black people," and Durant recently said he would not visit the White house if the Golden State Warriors were invited. Durant said he doesn't "respect who's in office right now."
“I love the United States,” Foreman, 68, said during the podcast. “They [Durant and Kaepernick] haven’t been brought up with people who were patriotic ... A lot of people died so that they can have that privilege.”
The heavyweight champion insinuated their attitudes may be a sign of the times and that the athletes may be looking for attention.
“‘I got all this money, but nobody knows me. So let me say something like Muhammad Ali, and maybe I’ll be different.’ That’s all that is,” he said, mocking a potential perspective of the athletes. “We came in the era (when) we were patriotic. The greatest day of my life was when I put on the colors, representing the United States [during the Olympics].”
Foreman went on to voice his support of Trump.
“He’s a good president. A lot of people don’t like him, but evidently more do, because he was elected President of the United States,” he said.
RELATED: Boxing legend George Foreman weighs in on why he thinks Donald Trump won the election
Foreman also noted that Trump helped him decades ago when Trump sponsored a pay-per-view fight between him and Evander Holyfield in 1991.
“I was broke, too. Bankrupt. Put me back, he was part of writing those checks, so I could be on the wealthy side again. So I’ll always be grateful to the entrepreneur Donald Trump,” he said. “And now, President Donald Trump.”
Read more at the New York Daily News and listen to the full podcast here.
About the Author
