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FOX Sports analyst Michael Strahan isn't expected to face any punishment amid some apparent online backlash for how he was standing during the NFL on FOX's special Veterans Day broadcast from Naval Base San Diego on Sunday (November 10), the Daily Mail reports.
Strahan, 52, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who also hosts the ABC morning news show Good Morning America, was seen with his hands in front of him in an interlocked position while his colleagues all had their hands over their hearts during the playing of the national anthem, as shown in a clip shared by the NFL on FOX X account, which yielded a variety of responses.
"His peers have his back and understand that he wasn't making the moment about himself. There isn't going to be any type of punishment or fine going Michael's way," a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Daily Mail. "He may address it, but he is weighing his options because he never thought this would have ever been a thing. He knows the man he is, and he almost doesn't want to address the controversy to give it more life."
Strahan's FOX Sports colleague and longtime close friend Jay Glazer defended him from the backlash, specifically noting Strahan's appreciation for the military as the son of late former Army Major Gene W. Strahan Sr.
"I’ve just seen the criticism of @michaelstrahan. Let me tell you this, I don’t know if I have a friend who is more proud of his military roots than Michael, growing up on an army base constantly talking about what he learned from his dad Major Gene Strahan and how his time there shaped him," Glazer wrote on his X account Monday (November 11). "I heard it CONSTANTLY, still do! But also, with no fanfare i personally saw him donate thousands of dollars of clothes to veterans, including many homeless veterans as well clothes for veterans to go on job interviews. I know these days people want to be angry fast but maybe first, how is THIS for a novel idea. ASK him if he’s protesting something. When you protest you want people to know, don’t ya? He was NOT, just got caught up in how beautiful the whole moment was during the anthem and didn’t think about it. Ask the dude before forming an angry mob, but also maybe find out alllll he’s done for our veterans over the years."
Strahan was absent from Good Morning America Monday and made his return Tuesday (November 12) morning, referencing a moment during Monday Night Football in which a soldier was reunited with his family on Veterans Day, but opting not to address the incident on Sunday. The Pro Football Hall of Famer also shared a post tributing his father and other veterans on his Instagram story Monday.
"Thank you to all the veterans and active service members who courageously risk their lives to protect us every day," Strahan wrote, along with a photo of his father. "Your selfless service is beyond measure.
"This is my hero, it is also my father, Maj. Gene W. Strahan Sr. He served for 23 years in the army and was a proud member of the 82nd Airborne Division.
"Just as I honor my father, I keep all of you in my thoughts each and every day as we would not have the safety and freedoms we cherish without you. Thank you."