The wife of former Colts cornerback Antonio Cromartie says it’s no coincidence that the team chose to cut the only Indianapolis player to protest the national anthem this season.
Terricka Cromartie, whose husband was released earlier this month, blasted Colts owner Jim Irsay after he said the Colin Kaepernick-led protests against racial inequality have no place on the field.
“You are nothing more than an entertainer,” Cromartie addressed Irsay in a post to her private Instagram account, according to the Indianapolis Star. “Just shut up and do what we say… One things for sure I know my husband was told Not to take a Knee and he went with his heart and he took one. And that cost him his Job.. and Clearly this Statement backs that up… Just Paid to put on a show.”
After signing a one-year deal with the Colts in August, Antonio Cromartie began to take a knee and raise his fist before the team’s Week 2 game against the Broncos. He brought his protest to London two weeks later against the Jaguars and was benched after the first half.
The team declined comment Thursday, and the out-of-work defender has not publicly echoed his wife’s statement.
The ex-Jet, who struggled in his brief Indianapolis career, was added to the roster as a defensive reinforcement for a depleted secondary.
The Colts also waived linebacker Sio Moore after their game in Britain, which casts doubt on the accuracy of Terricka Cromartie’s comments.
She also did not identify who she said told Cromartie not to protest.