August 29, 2016

UPDATE: Eagles' Myke Tavarres decides not to sit (so, stand) during national anthem on Thursday

By Rich Hofmann
PhillyVoice Contributor

Colin Kaepernick sparked intense debate over the weekend after refusing to stand for the national anthem before a San Francisco 49ers preseason game, and in a few days, a much lesser known Eagles linebacker planned to join in the protest.

Until he didn't.

According to ESPN’s Tim McManus, rookie Myke Tavarres thought about sitting out the anthem before Saturday night’s game against the Indianapolis Colts. He ultimately decided against it but planned to follow through before the Eagles’ final preseason game against the New York Jets on Thursday night.

But then Tavarres changed his mind:

UPDATE:Agent for @Eagles rookie Myke Tavarres tells me his client "Will stand for national anthem". Reversing what he said in @espn report
— Chris O'Connell (@CoconnellFox29) August 29, 2016

Williams: "As a rookie, his goal is not to be a distraction for the Eagles. His coaches at Incarnate Word and I advised him to stand."
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 29, 2016

Like Kaepernick, Tavarres viewed sitting out the anthem as a way to voice his displeasure with how he views racial minorities are treated in America:

"We've got an issue in this country in this day and age, and I feel like somebody needs to step up and we all need to step up," Tavarres said. "We've got that right. There's just a lot going on that people don't want to talk about, and I feel like us as athletes, we're looked at as role models. And I feel like with Colin Kaepernick, he's doing a great job for standing up in what he believes in, and most people may not like that, but that's his opinion, he's entitled to it, and I respect him for doing it."

Tavarres is an undrafted free agent out of Incarnate Word. The 23-year-old survived the first round of cuts and is trying to crack the roster (a task made more difficult with the recent addition of Stephen Tulloch) by contributing on special teams. If he doesn't make the final 53, Tavarres might project as a practice squad player.

The Eagles released a statement from head coach Doug Pederson, commenting on today's news: