Mike Ditka on Tuesday night issued a statement in an effort to clarify comments the Pro Football Hall of Famer made about NFL players kneeling during the national anthem.
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The former NFL player and coach's statement (via WGN-TV):
"The characterization of the statement that I made does not reflect the context of the question that I was answering and certainly does not reflect my views throughout my lifetime. I have absolutely seen oppression in society in the last 100 years and I am completely intolerant of any discrimination. The interview was about the NFL and the related issues. That's where my head was at. I was quoted in the interview stating, 'You have to be colorblind.' I stated that you should look at a person for what they are and not the color of their skin. I'm sorry if anyone was offended."
Ditka's statement comes in the wake of the backlash caused by his radio interview during Westwood One's "Monday Night Football" pregame show in which he appeared to question just how much oppression there is in the United States.
"All of a sudden, it's become a big deal now, about oppression," Ditka said in that interview. "There has been no oppression in the last 100 years that I know of. Now maybe I'm not watching it as carefully as other people."
The comment, part of a six-minute interview, brought a storm of criticism across a broad spectrum, including current and former NFL players (including Joe Namath), the NAACP, politicians, the media and the general public.
Ditka's statement comes in the context of the ongoing and frequently heated debate about NFL players' protests during the national anthem, which commissioner Roger Goodell says will be a topic of discussion at league meetings next week.
