Michael Strahan is setting the record straight on his recent national anthem "controversy."
The Good Morning America anchor has come under fire in the last few days after during a Veterans Day football broadcast, he was spotted inadvertently failing to put his hand over his heart while the national anthem was playing.
Now, in a new post on Instagram on Tuesday, the former football star is speaking out, maintaining it was a complete accident, as well as his longtime support for the nation's military.
In his video, he started: "Everybody it's Michael here, and I want to address what happened this past weekend. Now I feel like I got to address it because it just feels over to the point where I get out of my car today and I'm ambushed by the media here at my house," and noted: "Which I'm not proud of the way I handled that situation, but I think anybody out there can understand, things you gotta do, you're gonna protect your family, you're gonna protect your home, which is what I felt I needed to do in that moment."
He then explained: "It all stems from this past weekend in San Diego with my FOX crew, [I spent] two days in San Diego with the Navy Seals, there were sailors there, I did a two hour pre-show praising the military and all that they've done for us, celebrating Veterans Day, and we had our national anthem, I didn't have my hand over my chest"
Michael then added how "everybody thought, 'He's protesting, he's making a statement,'" though maintained it's "so far from the truth."
He went on: "I have nothing to protest, I have no statement to be made," emphasizing: "The only statement that should be made and that I want to make is that I love the military, I've always loved the military, and I will always love the military."
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"I do so many programs that help veterans and soldiers," he noted, and further shared: "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 'unpratriotic' couldn't be any further from the truth."
© Getty ImagesSharing more insight into the blunder, he added: "If you want the truth, I'll tell you the truth: it's that I was caught up in the moment! I'm looking at all of these young sailors standing there, at attention, the national anthem starts, and I'm thinking to myself, 'How incredible.' How incredible to be that young and to know that you want to do this, like it's such a commitment but you're willing to commit to something that you know gets us our freedoms."
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© Good Morning America/ABC"Plain and simple," he maintained. "I'm just sitting there in amazement, which I'm always amazed, because I don't take it for granted, no matter where we go around the world, from Afghanistan to all the military institutions here in this country."
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© InstagramHe lastly recalled: "By the time I looked up from that moment, all my FOX guys had their hands over their heart, the national anthem playing, I'm somewhat panicked, [thinking], 'Do I be the fool that puts his hand on his heart after? Or do I just stand here with my hands 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 proud lover of all those who serve before, now, and who will serve in the future," Michael concluded.
