‘Deeply American!’ NFL players once reunited against ex-President Donald Trump’s call for a ‘ban’ against players who took the knee
NFL players used to kneel during the national anthems as protest against police brutality.
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Donald Trump (Image via Getty Images)
There used to be a time in the NFL when players took a knee during the national anthem as a protest against racial inequality and police brutality. The former San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick was the one who started this protest, which quickly changed into a movement and took over the sports world. However, this protest was considered disrespectful toward the men and women of the US Army by many people, including former President Donald Trump.
During the 2016 NFL pre-season, the 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick was spotted sitting during the national as a protest against racial inequality. A few weeks later, after Kaepernick met with military personnel, the Niners QB changed his approach by kneeling during the national anthem. This protest was seen as a disrespect to the American flag and national anthem by many individuals, including then-Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Before the kneeling protests turned into a movement, Kaepernick was blackballed by the league and was out of the league in 2017. But some NFL players continued to involve in Kaepernick’s activism, which didn’t sit well with ex-President Trump. In fact, Trump wanted the team owners to fire the players who disrespect the American flag.
“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now? Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!’” said then-President Trump during a Republican rally in Alabama.
NFL players once stood united against Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s remarks about the peaceful protests stirred up the NFL players and owners who stood united against the then-US President. The explosive running back LeSean McCoy called Trump an “asshole” for the remarks, while the NBA Legend LeBron James called him a “Bum”.
Besides, the New England Patriots owner and Trump’s close friend Robert Kraft also expressed his disappointment with Trump’s statement. “The problem we have is, we have a president who will use [kneeling] as fodder to do his mission that I don’t feel is in the best interests of America,” said Kraft. “It’s divisive and it’s horrible.”
The Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner also called out Trump for his comments aimed at the peaceful protest. “When I heard the comments, I was so disappointed because I believe [Trump’s] comments are completely contradictory to what the flag represents,” said Warner.
In the end, Trump’s aggression towards the protest only helped it become a larger movement. After his comments, more and more NFL players and owners started to link arms while standing and demonstrated their support for the protest. Moreover, during 2020 and 2021, the movement went international and even soccer players knelt before the matches to protest against racial inequalities.
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Aravind Raj
(2075 Articles Published)