American footballers’ war with Trump over racism
After president says players who snub national anthem in protest should be ‘fired’, they drop to knees in defiance
AN escalating row over police racism in the US spilled over into Britain’s Wembley Stadium yesterday as American football players defied Donald Trump by refusing to stand for their national anthem.
President Trump faced a mass show of defiance by the sport’s stars after he called on National Football League team owners to sack players who kneel or sit during the pregame ceremony.
In a foul-mouthed intervention in a controversy that has seen top sportsmen and even pop stars join a protest over police brutality against black Americans, Mr Trump told a rally that ‘somebody who disrespects our flag’ was a ‘son of a b **** ’ who should be thrown off the team.
The row over standing for the national anthem started last year when Colin Kaepernick, who played for the San Francisco 49ers, refused to do so before games, saying: ‘I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of colour.’
Before yesterday’s game at Wembley between the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars, at least 20 players – some from each team – knelt for the US national anthem. However, they stood for God Save The Queen.
Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said he supported his dissenting players. ‘We respect their demonstration and support them 100%. All voices need to be heard. That’s democracy in its highest form.’
In another show of support, Jaguars owner Shad Khan stood armin-arm with his remaining players during the anthem.
Other NFL stars, coaches and owners made similar protests at games across the US.
New England quarterback Tom Brady, a friend of Mr Trump and the sport’s biggest star, locked arms with his teammates before a game in Houston, Texas.
The spat has spiralled since the intervention of Mr Trump, whose presidency has been criticised by black stars over race.
Even Stevie Wonder weighed in, kneeling on stage in New York on Saturday. The singer said: ‘Tonight, I’m taking a knee for America; but not just one knee, I’m taking both knees.’
Mr Trump denounced failing to stand as ‘a total disrespect of our heritage... a total disrespect of everything we stand for’. To applause, he told a rally in Alabama on Friday: ‘Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you’d say, “Get that son of a b **** off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired”.’
The president tweeted yesterday: ‘If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!’
When basketball player Stephen Curry said he would rather not accept a White House invitation because of Mr Trump’s policies and rhetoric, the president said he was revoking the invitation.
Fellow basketball star LeBron James was also among those to slam Mr Trump.
He tweeted: ‘U bum! Going to the White House was a great honour until you showed up!’
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has warned Kim Jong-Un that he ‘won’t be around much longer’.
North Korea’s foreign minister told the UN on Saturday that it intended to have a ‘nuclear hammer of justice’. Mr Trump tweeted: ‘Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at UN. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man [Jong-Un], they won’t be around much longer!’
‘Total disrespect of our heritage’