Michael Strahan was back on the nation’s screens on Tuesday morning for the first time since causing outrage by failing to put his hand over his heart during the national anthem.
Strahan was part of FOX’s NFL Sunday coverage ahead of Veterans Day, but his decision not to join his fellow hosts in placing his hand on his chest had fans calling for him to be fired from his role.
He was absent from ABC’s Good Morning America show on Monday, with the hosts making no mention of the controversy, but returned on Tuesday morning, opening the show at 7am ET.
Despite his return, there was still no mention of his national anthem blunder, and Strahan has yet to directly reference the awkward moment.
On Monday, he shared on Instagram a photo of his father, Major Gene W. Strahan Sr, during his time in the military, paying tribute to veterans across the US.
“Thank you to all the veterans and active military personnel who courageously risk their lives every day to protect us,” he wrote in his story. “Your selfless service is immeasurable.
“Just as I honor my father, I keep all of you in my thoughts every day, because without you we would not have the safety and freedoms we cherish. Thank you.’
Late on Monday, DailyMail.com announced that Fox Sports will not punish or fine Strahan despite the public outcry.
Fox Sports faced a barrage of calls from viewers and fans to fire the former New York Giants defensive end and Super Bowl winner.
Michael Strahan (right) has been criticized for not placing his hand over his heart during the national anthem on Sunday
The NFL analyst shared a photo of his ex-military father and paid tribute to America’s veterans
A source said: ‘His colleagues are behind him and understand he wasn’t talking about himself. There will be no punishment or penalty of any kind in Michael’s terms.
“He might bring it up, but he’s weighing his options because he never thought this would have ever been a thing. He knows the man he is, and he almost doesn’t want to bring up the controversy to inject more life into it.
“Michael wants Veterans Day to be for those men and women who deserve it and deserve the praise, to be in the conversation like this and to continue the conversation about what people think he was doing, it would be a bad to be of service to what the day means .’