Northwestern Wounded Warrior Uniforms Create Controversy [IMAGE]

Every year since 2009 a handful of college football teams wear special Under Armour uniforms for a game as part of the Wounded Warrior Project. Northwestern University is participating this year by we...
Northwestern Wounded Warrior Uniforms Create Controversy [IMAGE]
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  • Every year since 2009 a handful of college football teams wear special Under Armour uniforms for a game as part of the Wounded Warrior Project. Northwestern University is participating this year by wearing a special uniform on November 16. Usually the Wounded Warrior uniforms are widely respected, but the uniform Northwestern will be wearing has garnered a lot of criticism.

    The American flag is incorporated in all aspects of the uniform, all the way from the helmet down to the cleats. The problem? The flag parts of the uniform are splattered with blood, which some people believe is highly offensive to veterans that were injured in combat. See a video and photos of the uniform below.

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    While some football fans seem to like the uniforms, they have struck a nerve with a lot of people. In Lt. Col. Robert Bateman’s guest post on Esquire, he called the blood-spattered Wounded Warrior uniforms “disgusting” and says they aren’t cool:

    “But when you add in the blood-splatters “artistically scattered” across the uniform as though it was the football player who had been shot, mortared, rocketed, or hit with an IED, that takes it from being merely crass to being outright Not. Cool. At. All.”

    Lt. Col. Bateman also complained about the amount of money that will be donated to the Warrior Wounded Project from jersey sales. Northwestern is selling the jerseys for $75, but only 10 percent ($7.50) will actually be donated to the WWP.

    Deadspin writer Barry Petchesky also thinks the blood spatters on the uniforms are too much–“But isn’t ‘flag covered in blood’ a little on-the-nose for something honoring a group that operates programs for injured veterans?” Petchesky also complained about the fact that Northwestern is only donating 10 percent of the jersey sales to the WWP.

    It’s worth noting that while Northwestern is only donating 10 percent of jersey sales, they plan to auction off the game-worn jerseys and will be donating 100 percent of the proceeds to the Wounded Warrior Project. When the South Carolina Gamecocks auctioned off their Wounded Warrior jerseys back in 2011, they raised $60,000 for the organization.

    What do you think of Northwestern’s Wounded Warrior uniforms? Respond below.

    Images via YouTube

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