President Trump called on the National Football League to fire players who kneel on the field to protest the flag and national anthem.
NFL players have come out in force to protest President Donald Trump’s repeated attacks on players who kneel during the national anthem, the Guardian reported.
On September 22, Trump repeatedly tweeted calls for Americans to boycott the league, culminating in the president advising the NFL to fire players who refuse to sing the national anthem.
“If a player wants to make millions of dollars in the NFL, he or she should not disrespect the flag and stand for the national anthem. If he or she doesn’t, he or she is fired. Find another job!” Trump tweeted.
“If NFL fans refuse to come to games until players stop disrespecting the flag and the country, then change will happen quickly. Fire or suspend!” Trump continued to comment on Twitter. “NFL attendance is down dramatically. The games are boring, yes, but a lot of people don’t watch because they’re patriotic.”
Speaking to Alabama voters on the evening of September 22, Mr. Trump recalled the case of Colin Kaepernick, who started the movement last year. Accordingly, at an exhibition game before the season opened on August 26 last year, Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers’ center fielder, did not stand up to salute the flag but instead knelt on the field to protest the police shootings of unarmed African Americans.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called the president’s criticism “divisive” and “disrespectful” to the league and its players. Trump immediately fired back, saying Goodell was “trying to justify some players who are disrespecting America.”
Several managers have expressed support for players’ freedom of speech.
“We don’t play politics,” the coach of Pennsylvania’s Pittsburgh Steelers told CBS. “People shouldn’t have to pick sides. If a guy wants to do what he does and stand for the anthem, he shouldn’t be forced to pick sides. If a guy feels like he needs to do something, he shouldn’t be isolated from teammates who don’t do the same thing.”
Despite a series of comments from President Trump on social media and in public, about 25 players from the Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens took a knee during the flag salute before the game on September 24 at Wembley Stadium in London. According to the Guardian, although the white players did not kneel, “many players, coaches and even Jaguars manager Shahid Khan linked arms instead of standing at attention in a show of solidarity with their black teammates against Trump.”
Famous center fielder Kurt Warner said on the NFL’s website: “The president of the United States, his position is to support and fight for the rights of all people, all Americans. So when I heard those comments, I was very disappointed because I believe his comments are completely contrary to what the flag represents.”
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