A viral video of Democratic Texas Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke’s comments about protests over racial injustice during the national anthem before NFL games has drawn a wide wave of praise from noted athletes and celebrities.
LeBron James tweeted early Thursday about O’Rourke’s video from “Now This” news, which came with video from a campaign stop in Houston last week. By early Thursday, the video had produced more than 12.8 million views and more than 160,000 retweets.
James tweeted his endorsement, calling the video “A Must Watch” with three exclamation marks to his 41 million followers.
A Must Watch!!! 🙏🏾💪🏾💯‼️ Salute @BetoORourke for the candid thoughtful words! https://t.co/E1YrbqGciZ
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 23, 2018
Former NFL coach and current NBC-TV analyst Tony Dungy also endorsed O’Rourke’s strong stand on the issue.
If you want some insight into the National Anthem kneeling controversy, watch this. If you’ve already made up your mind that kneeling is disrespectful and facts and history won’t change your mind there’s no need to watch. https://t.co/2iUxKBTam0
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) August 22, 2018
NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner also was impressed with O’Rourke’s candor on the subject.
Every past & present fan of NFL – please listen – I believe he hit the nail on the head & he did so not by dividing the 2 sides but by joining them together in realizing the freedoms of our country have been forged by soldiers but also by many others who have fought in diff ways! https://t.co/zDxYgMAmAz
— Kurt Warner (@kurt13warner) August 22, 2018
Former United States soccer team standout Abby Wambach also praised O’Rourke, calling him “smart, and compassionate, and respectful of all people here.”
No matter where you land on this issue, because I understand it’s complicated, please watch this. @BetoORourke is smart, and compassionate, and respectful of all people here. This is what leadership looks like. https://t.co/fQ0aTVtZPQ
— Abby Wambach (@AbbyWambach) August 22, 2018
And Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr called O’Rourke’s stand “what thoughtful leadership looks and sounds like.”
Please watch this and be reminded of what thoughtful leadership looks and sounds like. Thank you @BetoORourke for giving us a glimpse of our future. Things will get better! https://t.co/0ndoPbQEN8
— Steve Kerr (@SteveKerr) August 22, 2018
O’Rourke’s viral video are coming as he is narrowing his gap against incumbent Sen.Ted Cruz, according to one recent poll.
The NBC News/Marist poll released Wednesday finds O’Rourke has cut Cruz’s lead to 4 percentage points.
The poll has O’Rourke with 45 percent among registered voters, compared with Cruz’s 49 percent. Six percent of the voters remain undecided.
Cruz had different ideas about O’Rourke’s stand on the national anthem protests during a campaign stop last week in Corpus Christi.
The election will be on Nov. 6, less than 10 weeks away.
