Anthem-protesting Olympian Gwen Berry might be a star throwing a hammer in track and field, but it took Dan Crenshaw to hit the nail on the head — so hard it hurts.
In an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Monday, the Texas Republican with a well-earned reputation for straight-shooting talk took a question about Berry’s tantrum over the weekend when she turned her back on the American flag and eventually covered her head while “The Star-Spangled Banner” played at Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon.
And as usual, Crenshaw captured the feelings of millions of Americans with his no-nonsense response.
“We don’t need any more activist athletes,” Crenshaw said. “She should be removed from the team. The entire point of the Olympic team is to represent the United States of America. It’s the entire point.”
“It’s one thing when these NBA players do it. OK, we’ll just stop watching. But now the Olympic team? And there’s multiple cases of this. They should be removed. That should be the bare, minimum requirement, is that you believe in the country [you’re] representing.”
Crenshaw had just finished talking about the dangers of critical race theory being given a prominent place in U.S. military instruction. Actions like the one Berry took on Saturday, he said, are just another example of its pernicious rot.
“This is the pathology that occurs when we’re teaching critical race theory into our institutions.
“Critical race theory, again, teaches that our institutions are racist. That our systems are deeply racist.
“You can’t see the racism, right? Because it’s subtle. And if you deny it, it’s because of your white fragility. But you’re teaching people this constantly.
“And this is what it results in. It results in these displays of hatred towards our own country. And it’s got to stop.”
Crenshaw, as most readers know, understands a good deal more about representing his country than almost any Olympian ever could. As a Navy SEAL, he gave an eye (and very nearly his life) in his nation’s service in Afghanistan in a 2012 IED blast.
