Ducks' Eakins: Violent protests at U.S. Capitol 'literally sicken me'

Anaheim Ducks head coach Dallas Eakins condemned the violent protests by supporters of President Donald Trump at the United States Capitol on Wednesday.

"When I was young, 18 or 19 years old, it was like this pause and you'd look up at these buildings and how long they had been there and what they meant to this country and what they have endured over the years and all the unbelievably important decisions that went on there," Eakins said Thursday, according to The Orange County Register's Elliott Teaford.

"And what happened yesterday is something we usually see on TV, and it's a reporter very far away in another country showing us what's going on in another country," he added. "And to me, the amount of sacrifice that all these people who have put their lives on the line, around the world, in the military to keep us safe, to keep us safe from something like that, it literally sickens me."

Eakins was born in Florida and has coached in both the United States and Canada. He voiced his frustration with how divided the U.S. is and the violence that has arisen as a result.

"It makes me want to tear up. It makes me angry that we don't have the common sense to debate, talk, use your vote, anything peaceful to get change," he said. "You might see things one way. I might see things another. That doesn't mean we've got to stand there and punch the crap out of each other."

The Ducks began their training camp last week, and Eakins said Wednesday's events were "a big topic" in the club's dressing room.