Falcons WR Mohamed Sanu bats away travel ban questions
President Donald Trump’s executive order, which halted immigration from seven countries that are largely Muslim, struck a chord with many Americans, including some professional athletes. Atlanta Falcons wideout Mohamed Sanu was one of them.
Sanu’s parents immigrated from Sierra Leone in 1975 during a civil war in that country. Sanu was born in South Brunswick, N.J., in the late '80s, but his family returned to Africa in 1992 and stayed there for three years.
So he assumed he would be asked at Monday’s Super Bowl Opening Night about the recently enacted ban that restricts travel from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Sanu was not wrong.
"I knew it would come up," he told reporters Monday night, via Sporting News. "My name is Mohamed. I'm Muslim. … But I'm here to talk about football right now."
Sanu shared his concerns about how the executive order will affect those seeking freedom but stressed that his role is to play football, not make political statements.
"When you have somebody in your family travel a long distance like that, you’re concerned something might go wrong," Sanu said. "You just hope for the best and pray they’ll be safe.
"But I’m here because of my football talents, not because I’m Muslim. I’m here to talk about football."
