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OREM — Over the last few weeks, the hot talking point in and out of the sports world has been professional athletes kneeling during the national anthem.
The silent act of protest is meant to raise awareness of the escalating violence between minorities and some police officers around the country.
Last week, an Orem High School football player got thrown into that discussion — and all he did was stand up. But the response is what surprised him most.
Alta offensive coordinator Riley Jensen snapped a photo from his seat in the press box of Orem junior Carson Geddes and posted it on his Twitter account last Friday.
Geddes, who had double hernia surgery the day before, arrived at the game in a wheelchair. And even though the defensive end was in extreme pain, he stood with his hand over his heart as the national anthem played on the field.
“I don’t know this kid’s name, but he plays for Orem High in Utah,” Jensen tweeted. “Impressive effort, young man. I see you.”
The tweet went viral — less than a week later, it had nearly 300 retweets and more than 1,000 likes. News outlets from across the nation picked up the story.
“I thought that was pretty cool,” Jensen recalls later. “I picked up my cell phone with my left hand, and snapped a picture without looking.”
Certainly, it was more publicity than anyone expected for as simple an act that Geddes has been doing since grade school.
“It’s something I’ve always done,” Geddes said. “I have respect for my country and the people who die for it. It’s something I felt like I needed to do.
“I didn’t think it was that big of a deal at first. But apparently people thought differently.”
Most of the response came in the form of applause. Internet comments, tweets and Facebook messages of “way to go” and “great job.” But in the world we live in, Geddes was taken aback by a few negative comments aimed at him.
“Some people are saying I’m a racist and calling me other stuff,” he said. “They said if I hadn’t grown up in Utah, I don’t know what it’s like, and if I were black, I wouldn’t be doing this.”
Orem coach Jeremy Hill doesn’t understand the vitriol aimed at one of his players.
“He’s a good kid, he was raised by good parents, and he was just standing up for the national anthem,” he said. “Despite being in a wheelchair, he thought that is what was right to do.
“Where the negative comments and feedback come from, I don’t know.”
No one’s opinion — both popular and unpopular — should be shamed, Jensen added. That includes the hate directed at a high school student.
“There are things going on in the world that are very sensitive right now, and I think we should all be sensitive to those things,” Jensen said. “But a kid who had a double hernia standing up to respect the flag isn’t one to go after.”
