President Trump kept up his criticism of protesting NFL players Monday morning with a retweet of an account that referenced former football player and soldier Pat Tillman.
Tillman was an Army Ranger who was killed by friendly fire in 2004 after he turned down an Arizona Cardinals contract to enlist after 9/11.
NFLplayer PatTillman joined U.S. Army in 2002. He was killed in action 2004. He fought 4our country/freedom. #StandForOurAnthem #BoycottNFL pic.twitter.com/k1FXHRoozY
— Ⓙay (@jayMAGA45) September 24, 2017
“NFLplayer PatTillman joined U.S. Army in 2002. He was killed in action 2004. He fought 4our country/freedom. #StandForOurAnthem #BoycottNFL,” Trump’s retweet from user @jayMAGA45 said.
The retweet drew quick backlash from other users on Twitter, who said Tillman wouldn’t have wanted his name or image used in any way by the president. The U.S. government initially said Tillman was killed in combat during a Taliban ambush before being forced to correct that he was killed by friendly fire.
Three facts Trump probably doesn’t know about Pat Tillman:
? He opposed the POTUS
? He was an atheist
? He was killed by friendly fire pic.twitter.com/oGN2GVjwCi— J. Dice ? (@jdice03) September 25, 2017
Trump wants to use Pat Tillman for political purposes I see. He might wanna see what he stood for I am sure Pat would had knelt as well
— Brandon Neely (@BrandonTXNeely) September 25, 2017
Trump’s initial comments Friday about NFL players who protest during the national anthem sparked nationwide player protests over the weekend, with many players kneeling during the anthem or refusing to take the field until it was over.
“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. He is fired. He’s fired!'” Trump said.
