Ahead of the Super Bowl last year, Fox and the NFL debuted a brand new commercial featuring Johnny Cash’s “Ragged Old Flag.”
The commercial was dubbed a “Tribute to America,” and featured Medal of Honor recipient Kyle Carpenter and families of 9/11 victims, as well as various scenes of the American Flag throughout history.
It’s the kind of commercial that can stop you in your tracks, give you goosebumps and make you think about the men and women that died to protect that flag.
But for many others, they saw it as a direct shot at Colin Kaepernick.
You can’t tell me the choice of Johnny Cash doing Ragged Old Flag wasn’t about Kaepernick https://t.co/qFOKN5D1rt
— Jack McLoone (@jfmclooney) February 2, 2020
This Ragged Old Flag commercial is a bunch of bullsh*t. NFL’s middle finger to @Kaepernick7 smh #SuperBowl
— Rob Mowring (@rmowring) February 2, 2020
Johnny Cash > Colin Kaepernick? #SuperBowl
— jtkola™ (@jtkola) February 2, 2020
Anyone else just watch a bunch of billionaire white women and the @NFL use Johnny Cash to propagandize the flag and obfuscate the reasons why Colin Kaepernick took a knee? Happy Super Bowl Sunday.
— Ryan Kelley (@KelleysOmnibus) February 2, 2020
Others felt it was a shot at Kaepernick as well, but one that he deserved.
NFL just ran Colin Kaepernick with a bus! Ragged Old Flag!!
— Barry Fahey (@Fahey9Fahey) February 2, 2020
Well done @FOXSports. Ragged Old Flag by Johnny Cash is a middle finger to Colin Kaepernick. pic.twitter.com/jgWSofR2C9
— Mackel Gibson (@LeeHarveyKubiak) February 5, 2017
A similar commercial, using the patriotic Cash song, aired ahead of the Super Bowl in 2017 as well.