In a world where standing for the national anthem with your hand over your heart has become a topic for debate, WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg left no doubt on where he stood on the issue.
Goldberg, whose real name is Bill Goldberg, appeared on NewsNation and told former Charlotte 49ers head football coach Bill Poggi that his respect, appreciation and admiration for those who have served in the U.S. military is the reason why he shows allegiance when “The Star-Spangled Banner” is played.
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“Well, especially in today’s day and age when people like to forget history and people don’t necessarily appreciate who came before them,” he said. “I stand for the national anthem and I put my hand over my heart because there’s so many people who have put their lives on the line for people that they don’t know just as a job to protect the country. And that, in itself, is a reason to stand up and show allegiance. I cannot tell you the joy that I get out of seeing these men and women deployed and deriving some type of enjoyment and excitement to interact with someone such as myself. So why wouldn’t you spread that as much as humanly possible and make it part of every day of your life to try to put a smile on somebody’s face and, in this case, a veteran who again put their lives on the line for people that they don’t even know to serve their country?
“So for me, if I can go out of my way to pat someone on the back and look them in the eye and say thank you and have them understand that it’s truly coming from my heart with no ulterior motive whatsoever. I don’t care about getting somebody taking a picture of me shaking somebody’s hand and posting it and showing what a good guy I am. That’s not why I do it. I do it because I can look in their eye and see how much they appreciate it.”
Goldberg credited his parents, his sister and those who came before him with teaching him “how to be a human being.” He said, now, taking care of his children and his family along with “taking care of our military” are some of the most important things in his life.
He called it a “duty” to put a smile on somebody’s face whether it’s because they know him from his NFL, pro wrestling or acting backgrounds.
“And so I will service the kids and the military till the day I die,” he added. “And it means everything to me. It truly does.”
Goldberg played 14 games in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons between 1992 and 1994. He also spent time in the World League of American Football. After being cut by the Carolina Panthers in 1995, he would pop up in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) by the end of 1997.
He won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship once and was a three-time world champion in WWE.
The WWE inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2018.