Alabama HS announcer who allegedly suggested anthem protesters be shot has resigned

Suggesting people should be shot? Probably not the best way to go when you are a high school public address announcer. Earlier this week that is what was alleged of Allen Joyner during the McKenzie High School and Houston County game in Alabama this past weekend.

Joyner, who is a local pastor, has been the subject of much vilification following the viral Facebook post (which has since been taken down).

This is the text of the post that caused all the firestorm to start:

“If you don’t want to stand for the national anthem, you can line up over there by the fence and let our military personnel take a few shots at you since they’re taking shots for you,” the announcer said at the game versus Houston County High School, according to Facebook poster Denise Crowley-Whitfield.

Crowley-Whitfield said the crowd went “crazy cheering” following the speech.

On Tuesday, he did the right thing to help the situation and resigned as the PA announcer for McKenzie High School.

However, the story is far from over at that point, because Joyner is also alleging he was completely misquoted by the original Facebook post but is still going to resign his post.

From the Washington Post:

Joyner told the Advocate he actually said, “If you don’t want to stand for the national anthem, please go sit at the baseball field and let some of our folks take a shot at reminding you of the price our military paid for your freedom to sit.”

However, the superintendent appeared to be under the impression that what the Facebook post said was more what she remembered happening. She immediately applied pressure for the pastor to apologize for the statement.

Joyner did not back down from his version, noting that his position as a pastor would not allow him to advocate for violence of any kind.

“I never advocated violence of an kind … just an opportunity to educate,” he said. “As a Christian, I would never support unlawful acts of any kind, much less murder.”

Whatever it was that was actually said, clearly Joyner overstepped his bounds as a PA announcer and stepping down was the right thing to do.

Given the heightened emphasis on what athletes decided to do during the playing of the national anthem from the professional level down, any suggestion one way or the other on any side of the issue can be a touchy subject.

For a public school district to employ anyone advocating violence (perceived or real), it would be a bad look to say the least.

[Washington Post]