Bruce Maxwell, an obscure catcher for the Oakland Athletics, who made headlines when he became the first baseball player to kneel during the playing of the national anthem, was arrested at his home in Scottsdale, AZ, on a gun charge.
Police in Scottsdale, Ariz., responded to call from Maxwell’s home regarding a person with a gun, TMZ first reported. Authorities allege that Maxwell, 26, pointed a gun at a female food delivery worker. Scottsdale Police booked the baseball star Saturday night on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct. He is currently being held until his first appearance before a judge.
Maxwell made waves in September as being the first and only Major League Baseball player to kneel in protest during the national anthem. Many National Football League players have knelt in protest during the national anthem, bringing stark condemnation from President Donald Trump.
The baseball player also generated some controversy Tuesday when he claimed a waiter in Alabama refused to serve him over the anthem protests. The waiter denied Maxwell’s accusations and said that the catcher was “outright lying.”
Maxwell’s protest never took off in the MLB, largely because only about 8% of players are black. But there are plenty of white NFL players who kneel — so that can’t be the only reason. This is from a Washington Post article written around the time of Maxwell’s protest in September:
But it isn’t only the racial disparity, as expressed in numbers, that is at play in baseball. There is also a generations-old culture of conformity within clubhouses that traditionally has discouraged personal expression. Most seasons, debate over that culture is mostly limited to pitchers throwing fastballs at hitters who show too much emotion following home runs. But it may also be a factor in deterring African American players from joining Maxwell in protest.
“With all of the unwritten rules in baseball, there’s certainly this concept of how to act when you’re in a major league clubhouse and when you’re on a major league baseball field,” Oakland’s Canha, who is white, told reporters. “I think involved in all of that is a feeling of not wanting to rock the boat, so to speak. And I think people are a little bit hesitant to speak their mind all the time, which I think is kind of a disappointing part of baseball.”
Maxwell is a putz. He comes from a military family and refuses to acknowledge that no matter what he thinks about his protest, 50 million people or more in America think he is disrespecting the flag and those who serve. Not to acknowledge that reveals the typical arrogance of a pro athlete who believes his elevated station makes him better than the rest of us.
Good luck in jail, Bruce.
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