President Donald Trump addressed NFL players in two Aug. 10 tweets, telling them to “stand proudly for your National Anthem or be Suspended Without Pay!”
“Numerous players, from different teams, wanted to show their ‘outrage’ at something that most of them are unable to define,” he said.
He further said the players should find a different form of protest, since “a football game, that fans are paying soooo much money to watch” is an inappropriate venue.
“Most of that money goes to the players anyway,” he said.
Under union contracts, NFL players are guaranteed close to half of most NFL revenues, which makes the Packers’ data roughly representative of the situation league-wide.
“They make a fortune doing what they love. Be happy, be cool!” Trump said. “Stand proudly for your National Anthem or be Suspended Without Pay!”
The anthem protests were started by former NFL player Colin Kaepernick in 2016. Others later followed suit.
Trump has, from time to time, criticized the players for protesting in a manner that’s disrespectful to the country.
Kaepernick said his protest was over the plight of minority communities at the hands of “police brutality.” He blamed racism.
On May 23, the league banned players from taking a knee during the anthem but allowed them to go to the locker room while it plays.
On July 20, the NFL shelved the policy while negotiating with the players’ union, the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), which filed a grievance against the anthem policy on July 10.
The league still expects players to stand, but players who fail to will, for the time being, not face punishment.
