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BLACKSBURG, Va. (FOX 13) - A college basketball coach took time during practice to make sure his team showed the proper respect for the National Anthem and those who sacrificed their lives for the flag.
Virginia Tech men's head coach Buzz Williams posted the video on his Facebook page in November, 2015. Williams stood between two lines. On one side, facing where they would normally sit on the bench, members of the Hokies squad. On the other, facing the team, a row of U.S. Military veterans.
Chairs sat behind where the veterans stood. Williams told the team they did not earn those chairs. The veterans standing there earned the seats - as well as the players' freedom to sit in them.
"We didn't earn those chairs. Your talent didn't earn those chairs. How tall you are, and how fast you run, and how well you shoot, didn't earn those chairs," Williams told the players. "These guys, when they were your age, interrupted their life. They paused their education. They changed their career, and they gave their life for those chairs."
Williams continued, explaining how he expected to see his team standing at attention while the National Anthem was played before games. He said he did not want anyone to sway or mess with their uniforms. He said he wants his team to be respectful of the words of the Anthem.
His ultimate request was for the players to spend the two and a half minutes to reflect on the service and sacrifice military men and women make every day.
"And so, when the Anthem is played we're gonna stand like grown men, and we're gonna honor men like this that gave their life so we could have a chair to sit in," Williams explained.