The American people are sick of the NFL anthem protests.
In response to spoiled millionaire athletes disrespecting this country, President Trump has squared off against the league.
And now NFL owners have responded to Trump’s criticisms in a big way.
Vice President Mike Pence was attending the San Francisco 49ers vs Indianapolis Colts game over the weekend.
When it was time for the National Anthem, players from both teams kneeled, so Pence immediately walked out of the stadium in response to their disrespect.
The trip by @VP Pence was long planned. He is receiving great praise for leaving game after the players showed such disrespect for country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2017
These NFL players are employees and the first amendment does not always favorably apply to workplace environments.
You can’t just go around screaming offensive language at work and think you’re protected from being fired.
That’s not how that works.
So NFL owners are meeting to make rule changes about proper conduct during the National Anthem.
Reuters reports:
“NFL team owners will consider requiring football players to stand for the U.S. national anthem after President Donald Trump suggested using tax laws to penalize the league for players who kneel in protest of racial injustice.
Trump, a Republican, escalated his feud with the National Football League in a Twitter post asking if the league should get tax breaks while some athletes kneel in protest when the “Star-Spangled Banner” is played at the start of each game.
“Why is the NFL getting massive tax breaks while at the same time disrespecting our Anthem, Flag and Country? Change tax law!” Trump wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
The world’s top-grossing sports league gave up its tax-free status two years ago. Its owners are preparing to address the anthem issue at their fall meeting in New York Oct. 17-18, NFL chief spokesman Joe Lockhart told reporters on a conference call on Tuesday.
“Everyone at this point is frustrated by the situation,” Lockhart said. “The commissioner and the owners do want the players to stand. We think it is an important part of the game.”
The protests, in a league where African Americans make up the majority of players, have continued through the season, with some players taking a knee when the anthem is played and others standing arm-in-arm in solidarity.
Current policy calls for players to stand for the anthem and face the flag, but no player has been disciplined for a protest, Lockhart said.
“We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a memo to team owners.
The White House supported the idea of asking players to stand, said spokeswoman Sarah Sanders.
“We are glad to see the NFL taking positive steps in that direction,” she said at a news briefing.
Asked to explain Trump’s comment on the NFL and taxes, Sanders said, “The federal tax law doesn’t apply here, but certainly we know that they receive tax subsidies on a variety of different levels.”
Trump last month called on NFL team owners to fire players who kneel during the anthem to protest police violence against black Americans.
Critics contend Trump is fanning the controversy to distract from issues including devastation in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, tensions with North Korea and difficulties in pushing healthcare and tax overhauls through the U.S. Congress.
Vice President Mike Pence walked out of a NFL game on Sunday after some players knelt, an action some critics called a publicity stunt.”
Trump is not using the NFL anthem protests to distract from Puerto Rico’s devastation or tensions with North Korea. Trump addresses both of those every day.
So Trump’s critics need to try again.
But in the meantime, it will be interesting to see whether these spoiled millionaire athletes will finally suit up—and stand up—for a country that has given them so much.