Ernie was outraged to watch teens taking a knee in during the anthem.
“I’m not in favor of anyone disrespecting our country, our flag, the armed forces,” Ernie said, according to //NJ.com . “What they’re has nothing to do with the national anthem, and I’m against it, so I decided to
for them kneeling, and that’s what I did.”
Ernie can’t understand why the have to go on during the anthem. He recognizes everyone’s right to , but he doesn’t know why it has to go on during the pregame ceremony when it should be all about football.
“Whoever is disrespecting that flag and the national anthem, that’s who I have a problem with. That’s my . I don’t care if it’s a baby if it’s an 80-year-old man, anybody. I don’t care. Any race, color, I don’t care who it is. It’s not the way I was brought up, and it pisses me off that people are doing that.”
Ernie had an inkling that the high school football players would kneel during the game. That’s why he warned the league’s commissions that he would quit if any of the players knelt during a game he officiated. So when the students took a knee, Ernie and his son walked off the field just like they promised they would.
After the Lunardellis walked off the field, they were replaced with two cadets on the chain crew. Ernie does not think the game was official because of that.
“That game should not count now because they did not have the right personnel on the field,” he said. “These kids weren’t officially carded and trained, so they’re putting the kids in jeopardy. I’m not.”
Ernie already has his lawyer on hand to fight the game.
“I have a lawyer already set up because they’re not going to run me out of town,” Ernie said.