Michael Strahan says he wasn’t protesting during national anthem. ‘I love the military’

Michael Strahan says he wasn’t trying to make a statement when he stood without his hand over his heart while the national anthem played during a “Fox NFL Sunday” broadcast at Naval Base San Diego.

He simply got “caught up in the moment.”

The Hall of Fame defensive end and current TV personality offered that explanation about Sunday’s viral and controversial moment in a video posted to his Instagram account Tuesday night.

“Everyone thought, ‘He’s protesting. He’s making a statement,’ which is so far from the truth,” Strahan said. “I have nothing to protest. I have no statement to be made. The only statement that should be made that I want to make is I love the military, I’ve always loved the military and I will always love the military.

“I do so many programs to help veterans and soldiers. I grew up on a military base with a father who was a major in the Army. My brother, my sister, my cousins, they all served in the military. I’m a military brat. And so the fact of somebody saying that, you know, I’m unpatriotic, couldn’t be any further from the truth.”

Fox took its NFL studio show on location to Pier 6 at the military base in honor of Veterans Day. Hundreds of sailors were on hand for the event, and each of them stood at attention during the national anthem. As the song played, the Fox cameras briefly showed Strahan and his fellow co-hosts.

While Howie Long, Jay Glazer, Curt Menefee, Terry Bradshaw, Jimmy Johnson and Rob Gronkowski placed their hands over their hearts, Strahan had his arms draped in front of him with one hand over the other.

“The truth is that I was caught up in the moment,” said Strahan, who was nominated for the NFL’s salute to service award in 2020. “I’m looking at all these young sailors standing there at attention before the national anthem played and I’m thinking to myself, ‘How incredible. How incredible to be that young and to know that you want to do this. It’s such a commitment, but you’re willing to commit to something that you know gives us our freedoms.’ Plain and simple. …

“By the time I looked up from that moment, all my Fox guys had their hands over their hearts, the national anthem’s playing. I somewhat panic and I’m like, ‘Do I be the fool that puts his hand over his heart after or do I just stand here with my hand in front of me respectfully?’ Which, that’s what I did. That’s what happened.

“And if that offended any of our military and veterans, I apologize to you because that was never my intent. I’m a product of the military, a proud lover of the military and a proud lover of all those who served before and now and will serve in the future.”

Strahan also addressed an incident from earlier in the day. According to the Daily Mail, one of its reporters approached Strahan outside his home and asked about the national anthem controversy. A video appears to show Strahan angrily shouting “Don’t come to my house!” multiple times. The newspaper also reports Strahan grabbed the reporter’s phone and tossed it in a bush before entering his home.

“It’s spilled over to the point where I get out of my car today and I’m ambushed by a media outlet here at my house,” Strahan said. “I’m not proud of the way I handled that whole situation, but I think anybody out there can understand the things you’re gonna do — you’re gonna protect your family and you’re gonna protect your home, which is what I felt like I needed to do in that moment.”