Jozy Altidore was not in the matchday squad for Toronto FC in his club’s 1-0 Week 8 win over the Montreal Impact on Friday, with coach Greg Vanney explaining after the match the forward sat out for “personal reasons.”
Altidore was seen in the stands at Stade Saputo on Friday’s TSN broadcast:
The forward has been an active voice amid the ongoing protests in support of racial equality and ending police brutality as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. After the match, Altidore posted the following on Twitter:
Asked about his teammate’s decision after the match, Toronto midfielder Michael Bradley said that Altidore’s teammates and the entire organization support his decision to not play in the match.
“One thousand percent [I support him],” Bradley said. “And not just me. Every single person on our team, in our club, we support Jozy in every part of the decision that he made tonight.
"At some point maybe he'll elaborate on things further, it's not for me to talk about," Bradley continued. "But he's such an important part of our team. He and I have a unique relationship, a special relationship that goes back many, many years. We've been playing with each other since we were 16-17 years old. We've lived a lot together and I support him always through thick and thin."
