Benjamin Watson

Saints' Watson writes poignant post on Charleston tragedy, rebel flag

Published Jun. 22, 2015 1:38 p.m. ET

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New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson has not shied away from sharing his thoughts on social media when it comes to topics of race and tragedy.

In November, Watson shared a moving Facebook post about the shooting death of Michael Brown at the hands of a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, and his words garnered a lot of attention then.

On Monday, Watson took to Facebook again and weighed in eloquently on the tragic shooting last week in Charleston, South Carolina, in which nine parishioners -- including a state lawmaker -- were shot to death inside Emanuel AME church.

Officials allege the massacre was a racially motivated hate crime, and it has prompted calls for the state to remove the Confederate flag that flies on the State House grounds in Columbia, S.C. The flag -- which is viewed by some as a part of Southern heritage and pride, but by others as a symbol of division and hate -- was removed from the State House dome itself in 2000 as part of a compromise among the state Legislature.

Watson on Monday wrote in part:

There appears to be a groundswell of support for the flag's removal, and on Monday the athletic director of the University of South Carolina called for the same:

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is scheduled to hold a news conference this afternoon at which it is expected she will call for the flag's removal. The governor, however, cannot order the flag's removal herself. That would require a two-thirds vote from both houses of the state Legislature.

Read Watson's full post below (you must be logged into Facebook to see the embed):

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Benjamin Watson

National Football League