What did Donald Trump say about NFL players?
Everyone is up in arms over the president Donald Trump’s comments about NFL players, but what exactly did he say about the group of athletes?
Whether you’re among those rubbed the wrong way or not, there’s no denying that the current President of the United States, Donald Trump, has a tendency to ruffle feathers. This is a blanket statement as the subject matter which he’s discussing widely varies. On Friday night, though, the subject turned to the NFL.
One of the most heavily debated topics in the NFL currently is on-field protests. Started by Colin Kaepernick in the 2016 season, dozens of other players have followed in kneeling (or some other form of protest) during the playing of the national anthem. Their protest is in regards to the unequal treatment of African Americans by law enforcement in this country.
Seemingly out of left field, Donald Trump took a speech in Alabama on Friday evening as the right time to address this. You’ve probably heard all about his comments getting everyone riled up. But what exactly did he say?
As they’d say in the NFL, let’s go to the tape:
WATCH: Donald Trump wants Jeffrey Lurie & NFL Owners to Fire Players for "disrespecting" Flaghttps://t.co/X8IurzZcpg#Trump #NFL #Eagles pic.twitter.com/8XqPEFJRde
— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) September 23, 2017
For those who need to read what he said to process this, here’s the full quote below:
"“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you’d say, ‘Get that son of a b**** off the field right now. Out! He’s fired.”"
Perhaps even more troubling than that statement was Trump weighing in on another hot NFL topic. With player safety and concerns over CTE hanging over the sport like a massive black cloud, the president called for the game to be more violent, noting that it’s not the way that it used to be.
When these comments caused a stir among fans, players and countless others, Trump took to Twitter (as he does) on Saturday morning to double down on what he said on Friday night:
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
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Considering the response from players, it’s highly unlikely that these protests are going to stop. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising to see even more players protest on Sundays now after these comments from Donald Trump.