Television host and former professional football player Michael Strahan said it was a mistake not to place his hand over his heart while the National Anthem played during a recent event.
Strahan said he was in awe seeing sailors at the base, many of them young, standing at attention while the anthem played.
“How incredible to be that young and to know that you want to do this. It’s such a commitment, but you’re willing to commit to something that you know gives us our freedoms. Plain and simple. I’m just sitting there in amazement. ... I don’t take it for granted,” he said.
When Strahan realized he was the only Fox host without his hand over his heart, he said, he panicked and thought about whether to do it while the rest of the song played or to keep standing with his hands clasped behind him. He chose the latter.
If members of the military, or veterans, are offended by what transpired, “I apologize to you,” Strahan said.
Some people speculated that Strahan did not place his hand over his heart during the anthem as a form of protest.
“I have nothing to protest, I have no statements to be made,” Strahan said. “The only statement that should be made and that I want to make is I love the military, I’ve always loved the military, and I will always love the military. I do so many programs to help veterans and soldiers. I grew up on a military base with a father who was a major in the army. My brother, my sister, my cousins, they all served in the military—I’m a military brat. And so the fact of somebody saying that I’m unpatriotic couldn’t be any further from the truth.”
The former professional football player also addressed an incident with a reporter who was seeking comment on the situation. Strahan took the reporter’s phone and threw it into a bush, the Daily Mail reported.
Strahan said he was ambushed by the reporter at his house. He said he was “not proud” of his reaction but said “I think anybody out there can understand, the things you’re going to do, you’re going to protect your family and you’re going to protect your home.”
