Published 18:59 IST, June 23rd 2020
Donald Trump to boycott NFL if players kneel during national anthem in 2020 season
Donald Trump, President of the United States, says he will be boycotting the NFL if the players continue to kneel during the national anthem in the 2020 season.
Donald Trump, President of the United States, continued to fire shots at NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for the latter's stance to support peaceful protests by the NFL players. Last week, Donald Trump conducted his first campaign rally since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Trump reiterated that he would be boycotting NFL in 2020 if players kneel during the national anthem.
Donald Trump on kneeling during the national anthem
"Explain this to the NFL," Donald Trump said during the rally as quoted by NBC Sport. "I like the NFL. I like Roger Goodell. But I didn't like what he said a week ago. I said, 'Where did that come from in the middle of the summer? Nobody's even asking.'"
"I thought we won that battle with the NFL," Donald Trump referred to the kneeling protest from Colin Kaepernick in 2017. “We will stand proud, and we will stand tall. Their stadiums were emptying out. Did you see those stadiums? Took them a long time to get you back." Trump proceeded to state that most of the fans of the NFL won't be happy if players continue to kneel during the national anthem. This could potentially result in the NFL losing a lot of their fans, which be detrimental to the NFL's financial growth, especially considering the setback due to the coronavirus pandemic."
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Donald Trump seemed determined that he will not be watching NFL games in 2020 if players continue with their protests during the national anthem. Previously, Trump sided with Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz in condemning the latest action from MLS and NFL to allow protests during the games. Trump said he would be willing to boycott the NFL and MLS if their stance regarding the protests during the national anthem remains the same.
Earlier this month, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell released a video message where he admitted the hierarchy was wrong for not listening to the players about racism. However, amid the nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd, Goodell said NFL will stand in support for the Black Lives Matter and urged the players to do the same.
Roger Goodell's statement came as a response to the video released by several NFL players like Patrick Mahomes, Odell Beckham Jr., Michael Thomas, Deshaun Watson and others. In the coordinated video, the NFL players demanded answers from the league about the league with the common theme being "What if I was George Floyd?"
(Image Credits: AP, NFL Twitter Handle)
Updated 18:59 IST, June 23rd 2020