Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick’s legal team is expected to subpoena President Trump as part of his case against the National Football League.
Kaepernick’s lawyers could be seeking subpoenas to compel a testimony from Trump, Vice President Pence and other administration officials familiar with the president’s opposition to NFL players protesting the national anthem, Yahoo Sports reported. Kaepernick has accused the league of colluding against him to ensure he isn’t hired on as a quarterback again.
The aim is to look into the Trump administration’s involvement with the NFL and the league’s handling of protests while Kaepernick was a free agent. Trump called attention to players kneeling for the national anthem during his campaign, and NFL team owners said later that Trump’s opposition to that practice was a factor in the NFL’s decision to fine teams whose players kneel in the future.
Under the new policy, players can stay in the locker room during the anthem if they wish.
The former San Francisco 49ers player was the first to kneel on the field during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in what he says was a protest against police brutality toward black men. The trend quickly caught on and dozens of players, coaches, staff, and even some owners took a knee during the 2017 football season.
[Related: Trump disinvites Eagles from Super Bowl celebration at White House over national anthem protest]
