Alejandro Villanueva Feels ‘Embarrassed’ For Letting His Teammates Down

This is a post I never thought I’d have to write.

Remember Alejandro Villanueva? He was the only Steelers player to come out and stand for the national anthem.

[arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/4HR6fhif9CU”]

Unfortunately, the pressure is getting to Villanueva. He actually said he feels bad that he let his teammates down.

“Unfortunately I threw my teammates under the bus, unintentionally,” Villanueva said during a press conference. “Every single time I see that picture of me standing by myself I feel embarrassed.”

Are you KIDDING me? I’m so upset that he feels embarrassed by that picture. He should be proud. America stands with him. There’s a reason his jersey sales are skyrocketing. If anything, his teammates should feel embarrassed for staying in the tunnel like a bunch of cowards.

However, Villanueva is convinced that he made his teammates look bad.

Villanueva says he asked quarterback Ben Roethlisberger if he could be out in front with the captains during the national anthem and they agreed to it, but when he went to the front of the tunnel to see the flag, he went too far unintentionally.

 

“When we came out of the locker room into that tunnel, it was a very small area. There was a flag or something coming off the field so there were a bunch of Bears fans, coming off the field holding that going in front of us, so it kind of held us up,” Villanueva said.

 

The rest of the team remained in the tunnel.

 

“I made my teammates look bad, and that is my fault, and my fault only,” Villanueva said. “We as a team tried to figure it out, but obviously butchered it.”

He also said that he doesn’t judge those who refuse to stand for the national anthem.

“People that are taking a knee are not saying anything negative about the military, they’re not saying anything negative about the flag, they’re just trying to protest that there are some injustices in America,” Villanueva said.

It’s really disheartening to hear this.

“I unintentionally left my teammates behind. I wasn’t planning to boycott the plan the Steelers came up with,” Villanueva said.

 

“For anybody who thinks Coach Tomlin is not as patriotic as you can get in America, or any one of my teammates, or the owner, I take offense to that,” Villanueva said. “I made coach Tomlin look bad, and that is my fault and my fault only,” he said.

No, you didn’t. Tomlin made Tomlin look bad. Your teammates made themselves look bad. This had nothing to do with your actions. They brought this upon themselves, period.

“I don’t have anything to say about the commander in chief and his decisions, I stick to football, I have nothing to comment about what the president says,” Villanueva said.

 

“I will support all my teammates, and all my teammates and all of my coaches have always supported me,” he said.

 

“Every single one of my teammates is extremely supportive and extremely patriotic. I can honestly say that,” Villanueva said.

It’s really sad to see him cave like this. It really, really sucks.

h/t CBS Pittsburg