The home crowd cheered and flag-waving war vets jeered as the Manhattanville College women’s hoops star who turns away from the American flag during the national anthem took to the boards again last night.
After the game, in which Toni Smith scored four points to help her team beat the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, the controversial senior captain spoke publicly for the first time about her actions.
“Too often, people blindly salute the flag without thinking of all the things it stands for,” she told reporters, as her mother, teammates and friends wildly applauded.
Asked what the flag represented to her, Smith said, “Millions of indigenous who died to claim it, millions of slaves who built it up, and millions still oppressed.
“I don’t think every citizen should keep quiet just because they reap the benefits of this country,” she said.
“I’m glad I live here, [but] as a citizen, everyone should be concerned about the loss of life,” Smith said, referring to her anti-war position.
Smith’s mom, Naomi, said she “absolutely supports” her daughter.
“She’s done a great job standing up for what she believes in,” Naomi Smith said.
Before the game, at least 20 protesters, barred from the campus in Purchase, Westchester, gathered outside the gates.
“[We] support her right to protest – we were once idealistic fools,” said Vietnam War veteran Terance O’Neil. “But is this the right way for her to protest?”
Fellow Vietnam vet Jerry Kiley, who walked on court during the team’s last game and shoved a flag in Smith’s face, added, “If you have a sister or a brother that died in the battlefield, you’d be hurt.”
Inside the gym, Smith’s critics waved American flags instead of booing.
Manhattanville senior Zeb Nabie called Smith’s actions “disrespectful.”
“People died for that flag. In a sense, they died for her,” he said.