Fan Asks Mike Rowe What He Thinks Of Nike Kaepernick Ad, Left Silent By Brilliant Response
- 6 years ago
Fan Asks Mike Rowe What He Thinks Of Nike Kaepernick Ad, Left Silent By Brilliant Response
Nike’s recent ad featuring football player Colin Kaepernick – known for starting the trend of kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem – has caused a huge stir and a great amount of controversy.
People on both sides have been weighing in with their thoughts about the ad, but one voice was noticeably absent: that of actor and television host Mike Rowe (known for such shows as Dirty Jobs and the CNN series Somebody’s Gotta Do It.)
One fan noticed Rowe’s silence on the subject and asked what he thought about it, and Rowe’s thoughtful and poignant response is one all of America needs to hear right now:
Nike’s free to celebrate whomever they wish, and Kaepernick is entitled to his opinion – kneeling, standing, or lying down. But if I was going to put someone’s face on a billboard – someone who epitomized bravery and sacrifice – I might have gone another way, especially this time of year. I might have gone with this guy – Tom Burnett.
Tom’s last act on earth was one of the most courageous things imaginable. And his last words to his wife, Deena, are among the most inspiring I have ever heard. Those exact words are at the top of this page, and the bottom. They were spoken seventeen years ago, under conditions I hope to never experience. I will never forget Tom’s last words. I hope you wo not either.
Transcript of Tom’s Last Calls to Deena
six: twenty seven a.m.( pacific time) First cell phone call from Tom to Deena
Deena: Hello
Tom: Deena
Deena: Tom, are you O.K.?
Tom: No, I am not. I am on an airplane that has been hijacked.
Deena: Hijacked?
Tom: Yes, They just knifed a guy.
Deena: A passenger?
Tom: Yes.
Deena: Where are you? Are you in the air?
Tom: Yes, yes, just listen. Our airplane has been hijacked. It’s United Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco. We are in the air. The hijackers have already knifed a guy, one of them has a gun, they are telling us there is a bomb on board, please call the authorities. He hung up.
Six :thirty one Deena calls 911
six: thirty four The phone rang in on call waiting, Tom’s second cell phone call.
Deena: Hello
Tom: They are in the cockpit. The guy they knifed is dead.
Deena: He’s dead?
Tom: Yes. I tried to help him, but I could not get a pulse.
Deena: Tom, they are hijacking planes all up and down the east coast. They are taking them and hitting designated targets. They have already hit both towers of the World Trade Center.
Tom: They are talking about crashing this plane. (a pause) … It’s a suicide mission…(he then tells people sitting around him)
Deena: Who are you talking to?
Tom: My seatmate. Do you know which airline is involved?
Deena: No, they do not know if they are commercial airlines or not. The newsreporters are speculating cargo planes, private planes and commercial. No one knows.
Tom: How many planes are there?
Deena: They are not sure, at least three. Maybe more.
Tom: O.K….O.K….Do you know who is inv
Nike’s recent ad featuring football player Colin Kaepernick – known for starting the trend of kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem – has caused a huge stir and a great amount of controversy.
People on both sides have been weighing in with their thoughts about the ad, but one voice was noticeably absent: that of actor and television host Mike Rowe (known for such shows as Dirty Jobs and the CNN series Somebody’s Gotta Do It.)
One fan noticed Rowe’s silence on the subject and asked what he thought about it, and Rowe’s thoughtful and poignant response is one all of America needs to hear right now:
Nike’s free to celebrate whomever they wish, and Kaepernick is entitled to his opinion – kneeling, standing, or lying down. But if I was going to put someone’s face on a billboard – someone who epitomized bravery and sacrifice – I might have gone another way, especially this time of year. I might have gone with this guy – Tom Burnett.
Tom’s last act on earth was one of the most courageous things imaginable. And his last words to his wife, Deena, are among the most inspiring I have ever heard. Those exact words are at the top of this page, and the bottom. They were spoken seventeen years ago, under conditions I hope to never experience. I will never forget Tom’s last words. I hope you wo not either.
Transcript of Tom’s Last Calls to Deena
six: twenty seven a.m.( pacific time) First cell phone call from Tom to Deena
Deena: Hello
Tom: Deena
Deena: Tom, are you O.K.?
Tom: No, I am not. I am on an airplane that has been hijacked.
Deena: Hijacked?
Tom: Yes, They just knifed a guy.
Deena: A passenger?
Tom: Yes.
Deena: Where are you? Are you in the air?
Tom: Yes, yes, just listen. Our airplane has been hijacked. It’s United Flight 93 from Newark to San Francisco. We are in the air. The hijackers have already knifed a guy, one of them has a gun, they are telling us there is a bomb on board, please call the authorities. He hung up.
Six :thirty one Deena calls 911
six: thirty four The phone rang in on call waiting, Tom’s second cell phone call.
Deena: Hello
Tom: They are in the cockpit. The guy they knifed is dead.
Deena: He’s dead?
Tom: Yes. I tried to help him, but I could not get a pulse.
Deena: Tom, they are hijacking planes all up and down the east coast. They are taking them and hitting designated targets. They have already hit both towers of the World Trade Center.
Tom: They are talking about crashing this plane. (a pause) … It’s a suicide mission…(he then tells people sitting around him)
Deena: Who are you talking to?
Tom: My seatmate. Do you know which airline is involved?
Deena: No, they do not know if they are commercial airlines or not. The newsreporters are speculating cargo planes, private planes and commercial. No one knows.
Tom: How many planes are there?
Deena: They are not sure, at least three. Maybe more.
Tom: O.K….O.K….Do you know who is inv