President Donald Trump said Sunday morning that NFL owners should either fire or suspend players who kneel during the national anthem, and fans should not keep watching games if players continue to protest.
“If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!,” the president tweeted Sunday morning.
If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
…NFL attendance and ratings are WAY DOWN. Boring games yes, but many stay away because they love our country. League should back U.S.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
The president’s comments come on the heels of an impassioned speech he gave in Huntsville, Ala., Friday evening. He came out swinging in his comments against NFL players who choose to kneel during the national anthem.
“The only thing you could do better is if you see it, even if it’s one player, leave the stadium. I guarantee things will stop. Things will stop. Just pick up and leave. Pick up and leave. Not the same game anymore, anyway,” Trump told a group gathered in Huntsville Friday.
“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. Out. He’s fired. He’s fired!”
Former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick started kneeling during the National Anthem during the 2016 NFL season and sparked a mass wave of protests that have trickled down to pop warner football teams across the nation.
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