Michael Bradley says Donald Trump doesn’t have ‘a moral bone in his body’

Toronto FC and USMNT captain Michael Bradley spoke out against Donald Trump and racism, stating he is willing to do anything to fight social injustice.

Soccer has never been apolitical, and that’s a statement fans in other countries have understood for decades. Many of the biggest rivalries in the sport, such as Celtic vs. Rangers or Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, are directly political.

More importantly, soccer has the power to unite people, even as racism in society is reflected in the sport. So when there are issues of racism, it is crucial for athletes to speak out. There is room for footballers to make their voices known.

Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley, who has 151 caps for the United States Men’s National Team and captained the USMNT for years, used his voice at a conference call to take Donald Trump and Republican congresspeople to task for their woeful leadership, via Sportsnet.ca:

"“We have a president who is completely empty. There isn’t a moral bone in his body.“There’s no leadership. There’s no leadership from the president, there’s no leadership from the Republican senators who have sat back and been totally complicit in everything he’s done for the last 3 1/2 years.”"

Bradley then spoke specifically about racism, as Americans protest the police systematically killing Black people. The Toronto FC star didn’t make any missteps here and plainly stated that in order for issues of social injustice and racism to be addressed in his country, Trump would have to be removed from office.

“If we want any chance to start to fix those things, then Trump can’t be president, it’s as simple as that,” Bradley said.

Finally, Bradley focused on himself, stating that he is “horrified” and ready to do “anything” to help be part of the solution as a white American.

Hopefully, Bradley can take those steps in a concrete way. Using his voice at a conference call to speak openly about racism and point out the issues in his country’s political leadership was a great step in that direction. More footballers in the United States and other countries must continue to come together to use their voices, encouraging fans to help be a part of meaningful change as well.