NFL: ‘We were wrong’ to oppose players kneeling during national anthem

“We, the National Football League, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black People. We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe Black Lives Matter,” Goodell said in a video statement. “I personally protest with you and want to be part of the much-needed change in this country.”

Protests during football games first began after San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat during the national anthem in 2016 protesting police brutality. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media in 2016. “To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.”

However, after Kaepernick spoke with Nate Boyer, a former member of the United States Army Special Forces, about the level of respect exhibited for the national anthem, Kaepernick changed tactics to kneel during the anthem, which occurs before every game.

For most of the time during the player protests, public opinion showed over half the country opposed kneeling during the anthem as a matter of protests. However, President Trump brought greater controversy to the situation after reigniting the issue in fall 2017.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when someone disrespects our flag to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out. He’s fired. He’s fired!'” Trump said, greeted by wide applause from supporters.