[Image Source: AP Images]
President Donald Trump took another dig at the NFL on Sunday after several players decided to take a knee during the national anthem. “Great solidarity for our national anthem,” Trump tweeted on Sunday afternoon. “Standing with locked arms is good, kneeling is not acceptable. Bad ratings!“ He later added, “Sports fans should never condone players that do not stand proud for their national anthem or their country. NFL should change policy!” According to ESPN, every team that played on Sunday participated in some form of demonstration–from players, coaches and executives who stood together arm-in-arm along the sidelines to others who sat, knelt or raised a fist. A handful of teams–including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans–remained in their locker rooms for the duration of the anthem. The protests came after Trump said during a rally in Alabama on Friday that the NFL should fire any player who took a knee during the anthem, calling such players “sons of b**ches.”
Patriots owner Robert Kraft released a statement Sunday morning in response to President Donald Trump’s remarks. The statement reads:
“I am deeply disappointed by the tone of the comments made by the President on Friday. I am proud to be associated with so many players who make such tremendous contributions in positively impacting our communities. Their efforts, both on and off the field, help bring people together and make our community stronger. There is no greater unifier in this country than sports, and unfortunately, nothing more divisive than politics. I think our political leaders could learn a lot from the lessons of teamwork and the importance of working together toward a common goal. Our players are intelligent, thoughtful and care deeply about our community and I support their right to peacefully affect social change and raise awareness in a manner that they feel is most impactful.”
