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<\/p>\nA Virginia Tech basketball coach noticed that some of his players were sitting for the national anthem, and set them straight in an unforgettable speech (video below).<\/p>\n
Coach Buzz Williams\u2019 speech about the importance of the anthem quickly went viral after it was originally shared, showing an incredibly important and moving perspective on what it means to be an American and salute the flag.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe didn\u2019t earn those chairs,\u201d Williams tells his players, pointing to the bench.<\/p>\n
Your talent didn\u2019t earn those chairs. How tall you are and how fast you run, how well you shoot, didn\u2019t earn those chairs. Me drawing up a play, me recruiting real hard, me working real hard, I didn\u2019t earn the chair. These guys, when they were your age, interrupted their life. They paused their education. They changed their career. And they gave their life for those chairs. Do you guys understand what I\u2019m saying? Not us, not us. And so when the anthem is played, we\u2019re going to stand like grown men, and we\u2019re going to honor men like this that gave their life so we can have a chair to sit in.<\/p>\n
Williams then instructs the players to not only stand for the anthem, but also pay attention to what they are saluting and not take for granted the freedoms they have as Americans.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then the two-and-a-half minutes that the song is played, or somebody sings it, we\u2019re going to stand at attention and honor these men. We\u2019re not going to sway back and forth. We\u2019re not messing with our shorts, we\u2019re not messing with our jersey,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose two-and-a-half minutes, we\u2019re going to give to the people who earned these chairs, because that freedom allows us to do what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williams\u2019 speech garnered applause from people who felt it was the right way to address the controversy surrounding the national anthem.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know the name of this coach, he is a man of [honor]. He brought me to tears, by what he said to these young men. He didn\u2019t yell he didn\u2019t shame them, he taught them that behind this anthem there are real men and women who have given so such for them and their country,\u201d one reader commented on AWM.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis lesson will stay with them for a lifetime, and just maybe they will think before they disrespect a service person ever again. Thank you sir.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to The Washington Post, Williams does this every season, simply to teach respect for those who \u201cearned the chairs.\u201d He said this is not in response to any anthem protests that may or may not be happening in the world.<\/p>\n
Watch below as he teams up with some incredible Veterans to teach them, in a beautifully powerful and respectful way, what it means to appreciate freedom.<\/p>\n
Do you think more sports coaches should do something like this? Let us know, and please SHARE this with your friends on Facebook!<\/p>\n