Restaurant Owner Says NFL Players Who Kneel Should 'Be Executed'

RACINE, WI — The owner of a local restaurant is under fire after he made comments saying that NFL players who took a knee during the national anthem should be executed.

According to the Racine County Eye, John Valko, co-owner of the Reefpoint Brew House in Racine, made the comments on Facebook, stating:

“Execute them,” he wrote on Facebook.”They are nothing but garbage. The league is screwed up if they think it is their right. It is their duty to respect our country and our flag. They should go kneel in front of a freight train. Shame on these stupid misfits of society. They need to die.”

The post no longer appears on Valko's Facebook page.

After news of the post caused a stir on social media, the restaurant's co-owners issued a joint statement against Valko's comments.

“We strongly disagree with what John Valko posted — all of it. What he said and how he said. It does not reflect our beliefs in any way,” Patti said. “We don’t want to be associated with him as a partner. This is our livelihood and he is destroying it because he can.”

Less than 48 hours after President Trump said NFL players who practice their First Amendment rights on the football field by kneeling during the national anthem should be fired, players on Sunday protested in far larger numbers than usual, with some taking a knee during the anthem, others locking arms and some teams stayed in the locker room as "The Star-Spangled Banner" played.

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