HOUSTON _ Mohamed Sanu knew the question would come up, if for no other reason than his first name.
"Of course I knew it would. Obviously, my name's Mohamed," the Falcons receiver said at Monday's Super Bowl Opening Night at Minute Maid Park.
Speaking before a crowd of reporters less than a week before Super Bowl LI on Sunday against the Patriots, Sanu referred to Friday's executive order issued by President Donald Trump that suspended entry of all refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and Africa "a tough situation," and said, "I just pray we live in a country and a world that can be united. It's hard for me to talk about this right now. It would take a lot of time. I just want to focus on the game and talk about football."
But if Sanu was unwilling to reveal his innermost thoughts, Falcons owner Arthur Blank offered some poignant commentary on what he sees as a troubled dynamic that runs counter to what he sees as the country's cultural and political underpinnings.
Blank also told Newsday that he was concerned that a statement from Trump on Holocaust Remembrance Day, which was also on Friday, did not specifically mention the six million Jews who were murdered during World War II.
"I'm troubled by anything directionally in our country that separates people," said Blank, who is Jewish. "America started without any of us, other than Native American Indians. This country was built on inclusion and diversity, on celebration of those differences, supporting those differences, and everybody being the very best they can be in their own way. I'm opposed to anything that takes away from that.
"That's what makes America great," Blank said, "is the melting pot of what makes this country great and the abilities and capacities and commitments to all those people that came from around the world to settle here, because they saw a dream and a vision."
Several Jewish groups publicly expressed anger and disappointment that there was no mention of the Jews, by far the largest group of people killed during the Nazi regime.
"Obviously, it's a tragic time in the history of the world, not only for Jewish individuals, but for non-Jews as well," Blank said. "And so I think it always deserves recognition, it always deserves to remind us of certain characteristics that can take place and to make sure they're not seen in any form or fashion in any of our democracies or institutions around the world."
Sanu, who grew up in a Muslim family in Sayreville, N.J. and also spent time in Sierra Leone, said his mother, who still lives in Sierra Leone, is expected to arrive in Houston on Wednesday. While Sierra Leone is not included in the ban, Sanu still worries. "I'm always concerned when you have somebody in your family traveling," he said. "... You just hope for the best and pray she gets here safely."
While other professional athletes and some coaches expressed outrage over the ban, Sanu said he decided to place his focus squarely on the game.
"I'm not here to talk about my religious beliefs," he said. "I'm here to play football. Another time, maybe, but not right now. I'm just going to go out there and just play for my teammates and my brothers, my family. I can't even think about that right now. I just have to focus on the game and give all I can to my teammates."
