President Trump has made no secret about how he feels about NFL owners allowing players to disrespect the national anthem by kneeling during it.
Back in September at the beginning of the 2017 NFL season, President Trump took to Twitter and called out the players. He said they should not be allowed to make millions of dollars in the NFL if they are disrespecting the flag. On top of that, he said they should be "FIRED" and find another line of work.
If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
...our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU'RE FIRED. Find something else to do!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
This week the NFL finally stepped up to the plate and resolved their issue. They banned players from kneeling during the anthem. It was a unanimous vote by the NFL owners, with one abstention.
Now it has been revealed as to why the owners all voted unanimously.
Per Bleacher Report:
This is a fact. This is the truth. This is the core basis for the NFL's decision. This has been told to me before, and it was reiterated by several people Wednesday.
"Our league," one team official said, "is f--king terrified of Trump. We're scared of him."
What does the NFL fear? It fears boycotts of games. It fears people not watching its product on television. It fears people not buying its products.
This is for good reason. Last year during the protests, the ratings plummeted.
With the new rule players will be allowed to remain in the locker room during the anthem. Trump didn't like this part of the ruling, despite the compromise coming from the NFL.
Per Daily Wire:
I don’t think people should be staying in locker rooms," Trump said. “You have to stand proudly for the national anthem or you shouldn’t be playing, you shouldn’t be there, maybe they shouldn’t be in the country,” Trump said in an interview that aired Thursday morning on “Fox & Friends” on Fox News.
Trump said the NFL owners are “doing the right thing” to ban kneeling, giving angry Americans who objected the credit for prompting the move. “I think the people pushed it forward. This was not me,” he said. “This country is very smart. We have very smart people.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement on the issue:
Statement from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell pic.twitter.com/1Vn7orTo1R
— NFL (@NFL) May 23, 2018
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