Olympic Hammer thrower Gwen Berry excitement over qualifying for the Olympics was drowned out by the very sound of the National Anthem, a song most Americans embrace. When she hear if she immediately turned her back on teh AMerican flag and placed a shirt with the words "activist athlete" on her head. The athlete thought the National Anthem was timed to play when she hammered for protesting the singing of the National Anthem drawing the ire of conservative leaders. She turned her back to the American flag when standing in the third place spot on the victory stand at the Olympic trials in Eugene, OR. Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw called for her removal from the team, flagging her behavior as unpatriotic. While sharing an article of the incident, Senator Ted Cruz tweeted, "Why does the Left hate America?" Ex-Wisconsin governor Scott Walker also blasted Berry on Twitter.
The other two winners placed their hands on their chest showing respect the the flag. Berry is a self-proclaimed "activist athlete" who placed a t-shirt with words on it on top of her head as the "Star Spangled Banner" played.
Berry retorted in a tweet: "I never said I hated this country. People try to put words in my mouth but they can't. That's why I speak out. I LOVE MY PEOPLE."
The incident got so much attention it came up in the White House press briefing, where Berry got support. Press Sec. Jen Psaki said the president respects the flag and the right of people to point of the "sins of this nation."
Berry
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