Iowa speedway apologizes after announcer’s rant about national anthem protests caught on video

An Iowa speedway on Thursday issued an apology on Twitter after one of its announcers went on a racially-charged rant about National Football League (NFL) protests against the American flag and the national anthem.

The announcer at the Kossuth County Speedway on July 15 made disparaging comments about NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem out of protest.

“If you won’t stand for our flag, if you’re gonna take a knee, if you’re gonna feel you have rights — you have the right to remain silent for most of the time — but I got four words for you: Find a different country, if you won’t do it,” he said during the remarks.

He also targeted the NFL’s anti-racism efforts, including featuring “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” often referred to as the Black national anthem.

“I’ve heard about all the stuff going on in the NFL and now they’re going to have another national anthem for those folks, for the … I guess … darker-toned skin color, I’ll just say Blacks,” he said. “They want a different national anthem and the NFL is thinking about doing it. So I say shut the TVs off and let them play in front of nobody.”

In a statement posted to Twitter, the speedway condemned the comments made by the announcer, who was allegedly a “fill-in.”

Please see the attached photo for a statement regarding comments made by a fill-in announcer at the races on July 15th. pic.twitter.com/DjEDq3WiFH

— Kossuth County Speedway (@KCSpeedway) July 22, 2021

“Kossuth County Speedway and the Kossuth County Fair Board do not condone the comments made by the fill-in announcer,” the statement reads. “We do not tolerate discrimination at our racing events and welcome race fans of all color, gender, religion, and creed to join our racing family.” 

The speedway added that it would not “not comment further on this incident because there are no further comments to be made: it was not okay, and it will not be happening again.” The announcer will also not be hired again for any future events at the speedway.

The speedway concluded the statement by saying it looks forward to proving that it “can and will do better.”