An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
Penalized For His Faith
High School Player Flagged For Touchdown Nod to God
A high school football player in Tacoma, Wash., got flagged for dropping to his knee and pointing to the sky after scoring a touchdown during a playoff game.
“It’s just something I do every time I get in the end zone,” said Ronnie Hastie, a Tumwater High School running back. “To honor my Lord because I play for him. I give him the glory because he’s the one that gives me the strength.”
Although Hastie’s strength may be divine, high school referees are apparently not.
He was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, a 15 yard penalty—the same amount of yards a lineman would receive after steamrolling a quarterback well after a play.
There is something seriously wrong in the state of our nation. How is giving glory to God “unsportsmanlike”? I can imagine anything MORE sportsmanlike!
He apparently broke a Washington Interscholastic Activities Association rule that bans players from drawing attention to themselves.
Who comes up with these rules? Does someone sit down on their socialist ass and decide “Well, that MIGHT offend someone, so it must be made against the rules”? If thanking the Lord for your God given abilities is offensive to ANYONE, then they need to rethink their living arraignments, and find some place else to live! It is quite obvious to me that the kid was not calling attention to himself, but to his Creator!
“I’ll change it for the team cause they are the most important; we don’t want the penalty,” said Hastie.
Perhaps, instead of this young man bowing to the PC bigots, he, and every other player should bend a knee to give thanks for the gifts they have been given. The 1st Amendment protects these kids, so when are we going to start standing up FOR them, and against the bastardizing of the Constitution?
Let me ask one obvious question in today’s current anti-Christian environment: If the kid was a Muslim, and did the same thing, would there still have been a penalty for his actions?
To answer your question… Yes. And it wouldn’t matter if the player praying to whatever faith they practice. It also wouldn’t matter if it was Highschool, College, or pro, the party would be flagged, for the exact reason mentioned. Anything deemed an “over the top” Celebration is flagged as Unsportsmanlike. Now what qualifies as unsportsmanlike is a debatable topic. I have always felt that Religion doesn’t belong in sports, and I have heard many ex players say it has no place in a locker room as it serves a more divisive purpose. Of course there are just as many who say it plays a very important role.
I always thought the best test would be for a player to celebrate an on field accomplishment by instead of thanking God, to instead thank the other guy, and see how people react. Just a hunch but I think many would be calling for more then just a 15 yard penalty to be enforced on the kick off, but then I am more cynical than most.
The kid wasn’t doing the Funky Chicken, and pointing at his opponents! Reckon we’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one, k?