Trump: NFL protesters shouldn’t be paid
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump again goaded the NFL over its handling of controversial national anthem protests on Friday, a day after the league said it would hold off on enforcing a new policy.
“The NFL National Anthem Debate is alive and well again - can’t believe it!,” Trump tweeted. “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!” he wrote.
Protests in which players kneeled during the anthem –first launched by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (pictured, AFP) in 2016 to highlight racial and social injustices – put America’s most popular sport at the centre of a political firestorm last year.
This came after Trump described players who took part as “sons of bitches” who were insulting the flag, the US military and the nation.
The remarks prompted a wave of kneeling protests across the league last September, angering some fans and placing several conservative, Trumpsupporting team owners in an awkward position as NFL television ratings dropped.
In a bid to steer away from controversy in the upcoming season, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced in May that owners had agreed on a new policy requiring all players and team and league personnel on the sidelines to “stand and show respect for the flag and anthem” although it gave players the option of staying in the locker room instead.
Contrary to Trump’s tweet, there is nothing in the NFL collective bargaining agreement requiring players to stand. The league planned to fine teams if players violated the new policy, and teams could decide whether to penalise players.
The NFL Players’ Association filed a grievance, arguing the new rule was “inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement and infringes on player rights”.
The league and union agreed to confidential talks to try to resolve the issue, and issued a joint statement on Thursday night announcing a “standstill agreement” on the matter.
“No new rules relating to the anthem will be issued or enforced for the next several weeks while these confidential discussions are ongoing,” the league and union said.
‘No understanding’ of issue
That announcement came hours after a leaked report of the Miami Dolphins’ conduct policy for the upcoming season said anthem protests were listed as “conduct detrimental to the club” punishable by either fines or suspensions.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross insisted on Friday that the team had no plan in place to suspend players who protested during the anthem.
Ross said that the “one line sentence” on the anthem policy “was a placeholder” aceholder because the NFL required equired the team’s disciplinary inary policy at the start rt of training camp.
He s ai d the Dolphins“haven’t made a decision on what we would d do, if anything” if players on the sideelines declined to s t a n d f o r t h e anthem.
New York Giants nts c o - owne r St e v e Tisch told the Holollywood Reporter er this week that the he t e a m w o u l d n’t penalise players who demonstrated. He also criticised Trump’s comments on the issue.
“He has no understanding of why they take a knee or why they’re protesting,” Tisch said. “When the new season starts, I hope his priorities are not criticising the NFL and telling own owners what to do and wh what not to do.”
B But Trump’s latest t tweet piles more pressure on the league and union to come up with a coherent policy a acceptable to both. The preseason kicks o off on August 2 with the Hall of Fame Game between the Baltimore Ra Ravens and Chicago B Bears, and the regular s e a s o n b e g i n s o n T Thursday, September 6 w when the Super Bowl ch champion Philadelphia Ea Eagles take on the Atlanta F Falcons.