Seth Jahn slams US Soccer's decision to remove him from council

United States Paralympian Seth Jahn was removed as a member of the US Soccer athletes' council, after the Paralympian gave a fiery speech in response to the repeal of a 2017 rule that required US Soccer players to stand for the national anthem.

The National Council approved the USSF’s board of directors vote to repeal Policy 604-1 during the USSF’s annual general meeting on Saturday.

The original policy was passed in 2017 in response to athletes across the country kneeling during the national anthem as a means of protest, and stated, "All persons representing a Federation national team shall stand respectfully during the playing of national anthems at any event in which the Federation is represented."

US Paralympian Seth Jahn, who also happens to be a United States Army Veteran that served three tours in Afghanistan as a member of the U.S. Army’s Special Operations, was removed by the USSF’s athletes’ council Sunday after taking issue with the ruling which resulted in a 'racially-charged' speech.

"I’m sure I’m going to ruffle some feathers with what I’m about to say, especially given the athletes council that I’m on, but given the evolution of our quote-unquote, progressive culture where everything offends everybody, those willing to take a knee our for anthem don’t care about defending half of our country and when they do so, then I don’t have too much concern in also exercising my First Amendment right," Jahn said before the vote.

"We’re here to get a different perspective. I also feel compelled to articulate that I’m of mixed race and representative of undoubtedly the most persecuted people in our country’s history, Native-Americans," the US Army-Veteran continued.

Jahn continued addressing the audience and expressed that America was not founded on slavery, blasting the notion that the US was founded on the "backs of slaves."

"I keep hearing how our country was founded on the backs of slaves, even though approximately only 8 percent of the entire population even owned slaves," he said. "Every race in the history of mankind has been enslaved by another demographic at some point time. Blacks have been enslaved. Hispanics have been enslaved. Asians most recently in our country in the freaking 20th century, have been enslaved. Natives have been enslaved. Whites have been enslaved. Shoot, I lived in Africa for two and a half years where I could purchase people, slaves, between the price of $300 and $800 per person, per head depending on their age, health and physicality."

"Where were the social justice warriors and the news journalists there to bring their ruminations to these real atrocities? And yet in all of history, only one country has fought to abolish slavery, the United States of America, where nearly 400,000 men died to fight for the abolishment of slavery underneath the same stars and bars that our athletes take a knee for. Their sacrifice is tainted with every knee that touches the ground." Jahn believed that athletes should kneel on their own time, not while representing the US on a soccer field.

The athletes’ council said in a statement Sunday that the Paralympian, "violated the prohibited conduct’s policy section on harassment, which prohibits racial or other harassment based upon a person’s protected status (race), including any verbal act in which race is used or implied in a manner which would make a reasonable person uncomfortable. The athlete’s council does not tolerate this type of language and finds it incompatible with membership on the council. While the council understands that each person has a right to his or her own opinion, there are certain opinions that go beyond the realm of what is appropriate or acceptable."

The council said it "wants to be unequivocal in its condemnation of the statements that Mr Jahn made yesterday."

Jahn fired back at the athletes' council’s decision to remove as a member in a statement entitled, "My Apology Letter" which was posted by Jahn Sunday night on Twitter, where he refused to apologize for his remarks and emphasized that he "will never bow-down to the mob."

"I will never apologize for the statements I made, and will never bow down to the mob mentality of intimidation, bullying or the social media warrior’s gestapo tactics. I’m embarrassed to represent a hypocritical federation that conducts a complete assault on diversity of thought without even seeking clarifying statements from me in their smear campaign. I’m embarrassed at the cowardice of so-called friends who bent over to the mob, knowing very well the quality of my character, in order to preserve their own image," Jahn wrote.

"The overwhelming support I received from a number of people within the federation compared to the 30+ death threats I received from the insignificant rabid key board warriors was appreciated, but I implore you to speak publicly in your support in the future for those bold enough to challenge the status quo and not just privately. Nothing I said was racist and I’ve done more for people of color all over this planet at risk of my own life throughout the entirety of my 17 year career than the entire athletes counsel have done cumulatively, and I will continue to do so."

The US Paralympian made a clarification to his claims about slavery. "The one point I will clarify is that when I stated that a small percentage of people in our country are responsible for the terrors of slavery hundreds of years ago, of which 400,000+ men died to abolish under our nation’s flag, I was in no way minimizing the horrors of slavery, I was simply illuminating the misplaced rage and squandered opportunities to bring to light the tens of millions of people who are enslaved TODAY … more so than any point in history. Persecuted people who I readily put my life on the line to recover from the predacious dregs who prey on them. I welcome any and all respectful debates void of emotion, and will gladly have an open dialogue publicly with anyone who was brave enough to place unwarranted labels on me from the safety of their mobile device."