LAS VEGAS — Catcher Bruce Maxwell, who in 2017 became the only major-league player to take a knee during the national anthem, remains unsigned after the A’s let him go and might not find work in the majors again, several sources said.
Maxwell, who turns 28 next week, was arrested on assault and gun chargesin Scottsdale, Ariz., after pulling a gun on a fast-food delivery worker in October 2017, and he agreed to a plea deal last summer in exchange for a reduced charge of disorderly conduct.
The arrest came the month after Maxwell had knelt during the national anthem in order to protest racial injustice. Maxwell, who grew up in a military family, placed his hand over his heart during the anthem and made it clear in subsequent comments that he has respect for the flag and the military, but he wanted to highlight issues of inequality, in solidarity with the NFL players who were doing the same.
“It’s the kneeling thing that might keep him from getting another job, not the arrest,” one major-league executive told The Chronicle as the winter meetings concluded Thursday. “Owners aren’t going to want to deal with that whole anthem issue.”
