Waiter Claims MLB Catcher Is 'Outright Lying' About Service Refusal Over Anthem Protest
Oakland A's catcher Bruce Maxwell claimed he'd been refused service at a restaurant when his waiter recognized him for taking a knee during the national anthem. Now, that waiter is speaking out with an entirely different story.
"He is outright lying. This is really upsetting as he was given full service, I didn't even know who Bruce Maxwell was. This all started because I carded his friend who wanted to order a beer," Matt Henry told Fox News. "We didn't even discuss Trump. I was working two jobs, I don't have time for rallies."
Henry, who works at Keegan's Public House in Huntsville, Alabama, was assigned to serve Maxwell, city councilman Devyn Keith, and another friend, who presented an expired ID — which meant Henry was required to decline the service of alcohol. The man followed Henry to the restaurant's kitchen and asked him, "Don't you know who Bruce Maxwell is?"
"I didn't know anything about him or the kneeling. All I know is a friend of mine 15 years ago lost his job for serving someone a drink who happened to be underage, so if anyone looks under 30, I'm going to card them," Henry continued.
Restaurant manager Anne Whalen assigned a different server to Maxwell's table after the councilman complained about the athlete's discomfort. She confirmed to Fox News that Maxwell's story "could not be further from the truth," and verified the validity of her employee's account.
So he's exercising his first amendment rights when he racially profiled myself and my boys, but us peacefully protesting isn't? 🤔🤔
— Bruce T Maxwell (@bruu_truu13) October 24, 2017
In terms of prejudice, Henry says it's easy to point a finger at someone native to Alabama, a part of the Deep South historically dependent on a slaveholding economy before the Civil War and site of many of the most bitter struggles of the civil rights movement. He says it's actually one of the "best places to live in America, if not the planet."
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