Jim Heaney, a U.S. Marine who served in Beirut is gaining notoriety today after joining in on the #NFLBurnNotice campaign calling on former NFL fans to burn their gear.
Heaney served in the Marines during 1980 and 1984 along with his wife who served as a Marine during Desert Storm.
He has been a lifelong Steelers fan, that is until the team refused to come out onto the field to stand for the national anthem.
Some of the items, he admits were gifts from his children, even including his favorite hat.
“Here’s a hat my daughter got me last Christmas,” he said. “I’m really sad about that, but I’m not watching again.”
“You know how many veterans watch you play and enjoy watching you play? And you throw that away,” he said. Heaney said the American flag represents that battle flag that freed slavery and said, “You don’t even care about that.”
Heaney called fellow veteran Alejandro Villanueva, the only member of the Steelers to stand for the national anthem, his brother.