Frank LoMonte Comments on College Cheerleaders Taking a Knee During a Sporting Event

Frank LoMonte, director of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Brechner Center for Freedom of Information was featured in “GUEST COLUMNISTS: Take a Stand or Take a Knee? Two Attorneys Weigh In on Divisive Issue” published in the Marietta (Ga.) Daily Journal on Oct. 14.

In the article, LoMonte is one of two attorneys offering their opinions on the recent controversy regarding athletes taking a knee during the national anthem. He asserts that students’ right to engage in silent political protests – even on school grounds during school times – has been firmly established for nearly 50 years.

He argues that student cheerleaders at Kennesaw State University, a public institution, have the benefit of First Amendment rights that their college cannot take away. University regulators would have a near-insurmountable burden to prove that taking a knee for the national anthem constitutes a “material and substantial disruption” of school functions. LoMonte claims that it’s not a “disruption” if some viewers take offense.

Posted: October 17, 2017
Category: College News
Tagged as: Brechner Center for Freedom of Information, Frank LoMonte, Marietta Daily Journal