Ditka again on kneeling: 'If you can't respect this country, get the he-- out of it'

CHICAGO - Mike Ditka, again, did not hold back.

The Chicago Bears legend and NFL Hall of Famer has said in the past he opposes players kneeling for the national anthem. Now again, following the start of the 2020 season, Ditka voiced his displeasure with the protest.

The former Bears coach told Newsmax: "Football's football. It's not a complicated thing. You're playing the game, you're enjoying the game. You don't like the game, get out of it. It's not for protesting one way or the other. What color you are, what you think, this or that. You play football. That's it. You're privileged. You got a gift from God that you can play the game because you got a body you can do it with. I don't really understand what you're protesting. I played the game. I coached the game for a long time. It makes no sense to me."

He continued: "I would tell those players go to another country and play football there. You don't have to come out. You don't have to come out if you go to another country. You can't! Because the game's only played in this country. And if you can't respect this country, get the hell out of it."

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Last month, Bears legend Brian Urlacher caused some controversy when he criticized NBA players for protesting playoff games following the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha police.