Vin Scully: ‘I will never watch another NFL game’ due to protests

Watching NFL games is no longer part of Vin Scully’s retirement plans.

The legendary Dodgers broadcaster, who left the booth after 67 major-league seasons last year, said the player protests during the national anthem have permanently turned him off from football.

During an event Saturday in Pasadena, Calif., Scully was asked about the response from team owners, players and commissioner Roger Goodell to the demonstrations, which players continue to use to protest racial injustice and police brutality.

“I have only one personal thought, really. And I am so disappointed,” Scully said. “I used to love, during the fall and winter, to watch the NFL on Sunday. And it’s not that I’m some great patriot. I was in the Navy for a year. Didn’t go anywhere. Didn’t do anything. But I have overwhelming respect and admiration for anyone who puts on a uniform and goes to war. So the only thing I can do in my little way is not to preach. I will never watch another NFL game.”

Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sparked the polarizing anthem issue when he first protested during “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the beginning of last season.

See photos from Scully's career:

President Trump reignited the controversy in September when he called on owners to release “any son of a bitch” who took a knee or protested using another gesture.

Trump’s comments quickly inspired dozens of players throughout the league to protest, which obscured the initial meaning behind the demonstrations.

Only one MLB player — A's catcher Bruce Maxwell — has taken a knee during the anthem.

Scully, who turns 90 later this month, was no stranger to the NFL during his long career. In addition to covering MLB games, the PGA Tour and the Masters Tournament, he was in the NFL booth for CBS from 1975-82.