President Trump reignited his feud with the National Football League on Friday after the league placed its ban against on-field national anthem protests on hold.
Trump said he “can’t believe” that players aren’t being forced to stand with their hand over their heart during the anthem.
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He called on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend players for one game after the first time they protest during the anthem. The second time it happens, Trump said, the players should not be allowed to play for the season and should have to go without pay.
The NFL National Anthem Debate is alive and well again – can’t believe it! Isn’t it in contract that players must stand at attention, hand on heart? The $40,000,000 Commissioner must now make a stand. First time kneeling, out for game. Second time kneeling, out for season/no pay!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 20, 2018
The NFL’s preseason is scheduled to start in early August.
The league and the NFL Players Association released a joint statement Thursday saying they had reached an agreement to put the ban on hold while they worked toward a resolution on the matter.
“In order to allow this constructive dialogue to continue, we have come to a standstill agreement on the NFLPA’s grievance and on the NFL’s anthem policy. No new rules relating to the anthem will be issued or enforced for the next several weeks while these confidential discussions are ongoing,” the statement read.
The statement follows NFL owners approving guidelines in May that would have allowed players to remain in the locker room while the anthem played if they were not going to stand. The league would have fined teams whose players stayed on the field and did not stand during the anthem.
Trump has repeatedly bashed NFL players who kneeled during the anthem in protest of police brutality against minorities. He did not respond warmly to the NFL’s newest policy, saying in early July it’s actually “worse” that players would stay in the locker room.
[Trump: NFL players ‘shouldn’t be in the country’ if they kneel for the anthem]
