- The Washington Times - Sunday, February 5, 2017

The head of the NFL Players Association on Sunday mocked Donald Trump’s claim that the league has gone soft in its effort to protect athletes from concussions.

In an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation,” DeMaurice Smith invited Mr. Trump to the sidelines of a NFL game and said the president should talk to players after games if he wants a first-hand account of how violent the sport can be.

At a campaign rally in October, Mr. Trump blasted the league’s “very much softer” concussion protocols.

“Uh oh, got a little ding on the head? No, no, you can’t play for the rest of the season,” then-candidate Trump said. “Our people are tough.”

Mr. Smith responded to those comments Sunday.

“My hope is that the president enjoys football, and if he wants to find out just how soft the game is he can come down to the sidelines and watch a game, hear the collisions, watch our players, and certainly he can swing by any team on a Monday and see how our players feel,” he said.

• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.

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