American footballers’ war with Trump at Wembley
After President says players who snub national anthem in racism protest should be fired, they drop to knees in defiance
An escalating row over police racism in the US spilled over into 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 (nFL) team owners to sack players who kneel or sit during the pre-game 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 bitch’ 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 promotional 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 ‘100 per cent’ supported his dissenting players.
He said: ‘We respect their demonstration and support them 100 per cent. 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 Star-Spangled Banner.
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 that 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 bitch off the field right now. Out! 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!’
Donald Trump has warned Kim Jong-un that he ‘won’t be around much longer’.
north Korea’s foreign minister Ri Yong-ho 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’
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS owner Shahid Khan stood shoulder to shoulder with his players before their 44-7 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. During the American national anthem, Khan linked arms with tight end Marcedes Lewis and Telvin Smith in a show of unity after inflammatory comments from US President Donald Trump. The President said NFL players who kneel in protest during The Star Spangled Banner should be fired. This game in London was the first since his comments, and saw 27 players and staff from the teams kneel at Wembley. ‘My stepfather is a Purple Heart, so part of me is torn,’ Lewis said. ‘You can’t tell a man they need to stand or kneel.’ Lewis caught three touchdown passes from Blake Bortles. Allen Hurns and Leonard Fournette also scored touchdowns for the Jaguars, who have won their last three games at their adopted home, England’s National Stadium. The show of unity by Khan, who also owns Championship club Fulham, was praised by quarterback Bortles. ‘Any time you get a guy who is running the whole thing, when he comes out and leads from the front, I think it’s pretty impressive,’ Bortles said.