Seth Jahn eviscerates US Soccer's decision to remove him from council, reveals death threats

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Seth Jahn, a 7-a-side Paralympian soccer player who was booted from the U.S. Soccer Federation's Athlete Council for his speech railing against the repeal of the anthem-kneeling, doubled down on his stance and revealed he was receiving death threats.

Jahn, 38, posted an apology after the U.S. Soccer Federation chose to remove from the council. He was against U.S. Soccer’s decision to repeal the rule for players barring kneeling during the national anthem. The organization’s board voted to repeal the policy in June and it was affirmed in its annual meeting Saturday with more than 71% voting in favor of the repeal.

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The rule was put into place after Megan Rapinoe became the first pro athlete to follow in Colin Kaepernick’s steps and kneel during the anthem to protest racism and police brutality. The U.S. women’s soccer team said last month that it was past the protest phase.

Hours after he was removed, Jahn wrote a statement saying he wouldn’t apologize and that his words were not a reflection on U.S. Soccer or the U.S. Extended Teams.

"I will never apologize for the statements I made, and will never bow down to the mob mentality of intimidation, bullying or the social media warrior’s gestapo tactics. I’m embarrassed to represent a hypocritical federation that conducts a complete assault on diversity of thought without even seeking clarifying statements from me in their smear campaign. I’m embarrassed at the cowardice of so-called friends who bent over to the mob, knowing very well the quality of my character, in order to preserve their own image," Jahn wrote.

US SOCCER COUNCIL MEMBER REMOVED OVER SPEECH AGAINST REPEALING ANTHEM-KNEELING BAN

"The overwhelmingly (sic) support I received from a number of people within the federation compared to the 30+ death threats I received from the insignificant rabid key board warriors was appreciated, but I implore you to speak publicly in your support in the future for those bold enough to challenge the status quo and not just privately. Nothing I said was racist and I’ve done more for people of color all over this planet at risk of my own life throughout the entirety of my 17 year career than the entire athletes counsel (sic) have done cumulatively, and I will continue to do so."

Jahn made a point to clarify one part in his speech concerning slavery.

US SOCCER COUNCIL MEMBER REMOVED OVER SPEECH AGAINST REPEALING ANTHEM-KNEELING BAN

"The one point I will clarify is that when I stated that a small percentage of people in our country are responsible for the terrors of slavery hundreds of years ago, of which 400,000+ men died to abolish under our nation’s flag, I was in no way minimizing the horrors of slavery, I was simply illuminating the misplaced rage and squandered opportunities to bring to light the tens of millions of people who are enslaved TODAY … more so than any point in history. Persecuted people who I readily put my life on the line to recover from the predacious dregs who prey on them. I welcome any and all respectful debates void of emotion, and will gladly have an open dialogue publicly within (sic) anyone who was brace enough to place unwarranted labels on me from the safety of their mobile device."

Jahn is a forward on the 7-a-side team but before that he was in the U.S. Army.

He was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan three times and was injured in 2010. He started training with the U.S. Paralympics National Soccer Team in 2014 and competed for Team SOCOM in the 2013 Warriors Games. He also competed for Team USA in the 2016 Paralympics.

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The athlete’s council said it had removed Jahn because he "violated the prohibited conduct’s policy section on harassment, which prohibits racial or other harassment based upon a person’s protected status (race), including any verbal act in which race is used or implied in a manner which would make a reasonable person uncomfortable. The athlete’s council does not tolerate this type of language and finds it incompatible with membership on the council. While the council understands that each person has a right to his or her own opinion, there are certain opinions that go beyond the realm of what is appropriate or acceptable."