Always play by the rules that are
actually in place, not by the rules that you wish were in place.
Donald Trump comes
out hard against the NFL players protesting during the national anthem:
“We’re proud of our country. We respect our
flag,” Trump said to loud applause at a campaign event in Alabama. “Wouldn’t
you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to
say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now’? He’s fired! He’s fired!”
Trump said an NFL owner who releases a player would instantly gain broad support across America.
“Some owner’s gonna do that. He’s gonna say, ‘That guy that disrespects our flag? He’s fired. And that owner . . . they’ll be the most popular person in this country. Because that’s total disrespect of our heritage. That’s total disrespect of everything we stand for,” Trump said.
Trump added that he believes fans should walk out if players don’t stand for the anthem.
“If you see it, even if it’s one player,” Trump said, “Leave the stadium.”
Trump said an NFL owner who releases a player would instantly gain broad support across America.
“Some owner’s gonna do that. He’s gonna say, ‘That guy that disrespects our flag? He’s fired. And that owner . . . they’ll be the most popular person in this country. Because that’s total disrespect of our heritage. That’s total disrespect of everything we stand for,” Trump said.
Trump added that he believes fans should walk out if players don’t stand for the anthem.
“If you see it, even if it’s one player,” Trump said, “Leave the stadium.”
It's a perfectly
reasonable stance. We all know that the NFL wouldn't hesitate to act if players
started throwing Nazi salutes; they already come down hard on the expression of
any opinion that is negative about homosexuality.
The Rubicon has been decisively crossed, so it's time to start cracking down on "speech" Americans don't like.
Always play by the rules that are actually in place, not by the rules that you wish were in place. I won't say that I've entirely given up on the NFL, but I did not buy Game Pass this year and I have yet to watch a single game. I don't think I will start this weekend either.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's response:
The Rubicon has been decisively crossed, so it's time to start cracking down on "speech" Americans don't like.
Always play by the rules that are actually in place, not by the rules that you wish were in place. I won't say that I've entirely given up on the NFL, but I did not buy Game Pass this year and I have yet to watch a single game. I don't think I will start this weekend either.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's response:
The NFL and our players are at our best
when we help create a sense of unity in our country and our culture,"
Goodell said. "There is no better example than the amazing response from
our clubs and players to the terrible natural disasters we've experienced over
the last month. Divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of
respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our players, and a failure to
understand the overwhelming force for good our clubs and players represent in
our communities."
I hope one of the NFL players calls out Goodell
on this by kneeling while holding up a middle finger or a Nazi salute. It would
be amusing to see how fast Red Roger would do an immediate 180.
