Anthem flap inspires Haslam bashing by Beavers, Breitbart

Former Sen. Mae Beavers, now running for governor, and Breitbart News are making an issue of the Haslam family’s comments on the ongoing national anthem controversy in the National Football League. Beavers says Randy Boyd, one of her GOP primary opponents, should return any contributions received from the governor’s family.

Press release from Beavers, via Tennessee Star:

“Randy Boyd should immediately return any donations the Haslams have made to his campaign,” Beavers opened. “What’s more, Randy Boyd should refuse to accept any further financial support from the Haslam family,” Beavers said.

Jimmy and Dee Haslam, the owners of the Cleveland Browns, have embraced the radical, un-American NFL protests against the National Anthem and the American Flag,” Beavers asserted.

“The NFL remained silent when the Rams attacked law enforcement with their “hands up don’t shoot” demonstration, the NFL refused to allow the Dallas cowboys to honor fallen officers massacred by Black Lives Matter, and defying belief, the NFL even barred their players from honoring 9/11 victims,” Beavers said.

“Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has not only refused to condemn the disrespectful actions of his players, he has encouraged them “The Haslams have been involved in a variety of business deals with Boyd over the years,” Beavers noted. “Governor Haslam appointed Randy to his position at ECD by  and the Haslam family has been one of Boyd’s largest contributors.”

“Randy Boyd needs to make it absolutely clear whether he will continue to stand with Haslam while his players kneel,” Beavers said.

Excerpt from the Breitbart News story, under the headline, “TN Gov. Bill Haslam Praises Brother, NFL’s Cleveland Browns Owner, Who Attacked Trump over Anthem-Kneelers”

On Tuesday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam praised his brother Jimmy Haslam, the owner of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, who aggressively attacked President Trump for his comments criticizing NFL players who publicly protest the national anthem by kneeling when it is played before the start of a game.

…In August, State Rep. Judd Matheny (R-Tullahoma), who is a candidate for the Republican nomination in Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District, called on Gov. Haslam to use his influence to stop the NFL players’ protests of the national anthem after Cleveland Brown players knelt during a pre-season game.

… Matheny told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview that Gov. Haslam never responded to his request.

“I have heard nothing from the Haslam family about my request they use their responsibilities as team owners and American citizens to stop the NFL protest,” Matheny told Breitbart News.

“It is deeply disappointing they do not care and have made no attempt to correct the growing wave of disrespecting our flag and anthem that is spreading throughout the NFL and particularly spreading in the Cleveland Browns team Jimmy Haslam owns and Gov. Haslam influences,” Matheny concluded.

Gov. Haslam, like his close ally Sen. Corker, has a long history of publicly criticizing President Trump, who won Tennessee’s 11 electoral college votes in the November 2016 election with a resounding 61 percent to 35 percent victory over Hillary Clinton.

In fact, in October, Haslam was a leading voice among a group of establishment Republicans who called on President Trump to withdraw from the presidential race one month before the election and let Vice President Mike Pence take over during the Billy Bush video tape controversy.