LEOMINSTER, Mass. (WHDH) — The owner of a bar in Leominster has pulled the plug on airing NFL games for the rest of the seasons following this weekend’s league-wide protests on the field.
Mike Cooley, who owns the Monument Tap, said he was disgusted and outraged when he saw players on the Patriots kneeling during the national anthem.
“These players want to jam it down our throat,” said Cooley. “If they want to protest, that’s fine, let them protest. Protest like everybody else does — on their own time, not at work when they’re supposed to be basically entertaining us.”
Cooley also criticized the owners for not standing up to the players, accusing of them of being afraid of losing money.
In response to the protests, Cooley will no longer show NFL games at the Monument Tap for the foreseeable future. Instead, he will have live patriotic music, complete with free pizza and wings. He said he expects a full house.
“We’re taking a point as Americans that we’re proud of our country and we don’t really care about the NFL,” said Cooley.
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