Joakim Noah Did Not Attend A Knicks Team Dinner With West Point Cadets Because He Was Uncomfortable As A Pacifist
NY Daily News- With consent from the Knicks, Joakim Noah decided against participating in the annual dinner with the cadets and listening to a speech from an ex-colonel given the team at its training camp at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Noah, a pacifist, says he’s uncomfortable with his surroundings.
“I wasn’t there to be honest with you. It’s hard for me a little bit. I have a lot of respect for the kids who are out here fighting. But it’s hard for me to understand why we have to go to war, why kids have to kill kids around the world,” Noah said. “So I have mixed feelings about being here. I’m very proud of this country. I love America but I just don’t understand kids killing kids around the world.”
Noah, who has dual citizenship in the U.S. and France, has taken a hard stance against guns in the U.S. According to Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek, the center was the only player not to attend the team function.
With the NBA’s partnership with the military, Noah said there have been other instances he’s decided against participating in events. “Every time, probably,” he said. “I’m not anti-troops. It’s just not comfortable for me to see kids going to war and coming back having seen what they’ve seen and done what they’ve done. It’s sad for me. It’s sad for me. They’re just sent out for things that are — I don’t really want to get into it, to be honest with you. It’s just hard for me.”
Noah also said he will stand for the national anthem during the season. “I stand. I stand. I think there’s a lot of topics that definitely need to be more than addressed. I think it’s a very important time right now. I think it’s great athletes are taking a stand. But it has to be about more than that. This country’s out of control. Kids killing kids. And it has nothing to do with, people are talking about the anthem but that’s not the point. There are things that need to be fixed.”
I wasn’t really sure if this story deserved a full blog, but it seems to be gaining traction across the internet. And as someone that is on different podcasts with both members of Zero Blog Thirty, I guess you could say I’m kind of the third in command when it comes to Barstool military takes. In fact, since I was hired at Barstool before Chaps and started No Quitters with West Point grad Connor, you could say I am actually the Five Star General of Barstool military takes. But that’s neither here nor there.
If Joakim Noah doesn’t want to sit with members of the military because he is uncomfortable with it, it’s fine with me. I can’t imagine any of the cadets cared all that much and most if not all would at least understand his thinking. War is not something that is great about the world we live in, but it is a reality. So if Noah wanted to duck out of a dinner with the military, I have absolutely no problem with it. I bet all the cadets were too busy trying to catch a glimpse of the 7’3″ Latvian prince in attendance to notice that Noah was missing anyway.
So lets all agree to not make a big deal out of this while we look forward to a fun Knicks season ahead and try to imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one.
P.S. #SuperTeam