Jessie James Decker Says NFL Husband Eric Decker Didn’t Intend To Take Part In National Anthem Protest

Eric Decker and Jessie James Decker

Eric Decker, a wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans, did not want to partake in the NFL national anthem protests, his wife Jessie James Decker revealed. The Titans released a statement that said:

“As a team, we wanted to be unified in our actions today. The players jointly decided this was the best course of action. Our commitment to the military and our community is resolute and the absence of our team for the national anthem shouldn’t be misconstrued as unpatriotic.”

Jessie shared an Instagram post of her singing the national anthem with a caption about how meaningful and important this song is to her.

“I think about my dad, my uncles, my cousins, both grandfathers who fought in the Vietnam war. I think about how my grandfather paw paw Tim would ask me to sing this song for him every time I saw him and how he would make me turn the other way to sing it so he could just weep and cry as hard as he wanted because it meant so much to him.”

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One of my favorite things to do is sing the national anthem. I think about my dad, my uncles, my cousins, both grandfathers who fought in the Vietnam war. I think about how my grandfather paw paw Tim would ask me to sing this song for him every time I saw him and how he would make me turn the other way to sing it so he could just weep and cry as hard as he wanted because it meant so much to him. I think about all of our troops I got to visit with and spend time with in the Middle East when I went over seas to sing for them. I think about all of the men crying because they missed their wives so much, or the man telling me he hadn't seen his baby girl yet since she was born. When I sing this song I think about them. This song is about them. It's not about me. That's what I think about every time I sing it. I love our country so much. And we should all love and respect each other because this is the greatest country in the world. I see the love. I see the unity in all walks of life on a daily basis and It makes me so proud to be an American….. so In the words of Forrest Gump. That's all I have to say about that.

A post shared by Jessie James Decker (@jessiejamesdecker) on

On that same Instagram post, Jessie responded to a fan’s comment about her husband’s involvement in the protests.

“Sadly he wasn’t made aware that a decision had made for him until he came out and it was over.”

READ: Jessie James & Eric Decker Reveal Son’s Name, Share Photo Of Newborn

In response to another fan, she continued, “If he had known he would have been out there hand over heart. Unfortunately, he wasn’t made aware it was time to head to the field as they always do every game.”

We will see what happens with the NFL and the athletes during tonight’s Monday Night Football.

— Kevin Zelman

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