President Trump is back to tweeting at the NFL.
After weighing in on Drew Brees’ apology last week, Trump took aim at Roger Goodell late Sunday after the NFL commissioner had said the league was wrong for not listening to players about protests and police brutality.
Trump called Goodell’s statement “interesting” and indicated he’d have a problem if NFL players took a knee during the national anthem next season.
“Could it be even remotely possible that in Roger Goodell’s rather interesting statement of peace and reconciliation, he was intimating that it would now be O.K. for the players to KNEEL, or not to stand, for the National Anthem, thereby disrespecting our Country & our Flag?” Trump tweeted.
Could it be even remotely possible that in Roger Goodell’s rather interesting statement of peace and reconciliation, he was intimating that it would now be O.K. for the players to KNEEL, or not to stand, for the National Anthem, thereby disrespecting our Country & our Flag?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 8, 2020
On Friday, Goodell posted an 81-second video in which he, on the behalf of the NFL, condemned racism, encouraged players to “speak out and peacefully protest” and said that black lives matter. Goodell did not mention Colin Kaepernick or kneeling specifically in the video, but said “we were wrong” for not listening to players.
Trump has been an outspoken critic of the league’s handling of anthem protests. In 2017, he urged NFL owners to fire anyone who took a knee.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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