Some NFL players want Trump to ‘stick to politics’
President Trump hasn’t gone a day without commenting on the NFL since last Friday, when he began targeting players who protest during the national anthem.
More than 200 players pushed back last weekend by sitting or kneeling during the pregame ritual. Throughout the league, a familiar refrain has resurfaced from a select group of fans who have opposed the demonstrations: stick to sports.
One player, however, turned that notion back on Trump when asked about the president’s continued focus on the NFL.
“He’s got to stick to his politics,” New York Giants safety Landon Collins told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday. “He worrying about the wrong thing. Puerto Rico just got total destruction, and he worrying about football players. We’re just trying to get something seen and understood and viewed from a different perspective, and we have a voice.
“We’re trying to put our voice out there so people can see it. But he doesn’t understand that. That’s the president. He has his own opinions. He has his own views. But he needs to stick to what he needs to do.”
Trump has reaffirmed his stance by repeatedly stating in interviews or on Twitter that the league should punish players who do not stand for the anthem. On Wednesday, he said: “I think the NFL is in a box. I think they’re in a really bad box. You look at what’s happening with their ratings. You look at what’s happening going ... frankly the only thing that’s doing well for the NFL is the pregame, because everyone wants to see what’s going on. The NFL is in a very bad box. You cannot have people disrespecting our national anthem, our flag, our country, and that’s what they’re doing. ... In my opinion, the NFL has to change, or you know what’s going to happen? Their business is going to go to hell.”
The players heard. “That’s just what 45 is going to do, and 45 is going to continue to focus on the NFL,” Buffalo Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes said in reference to Trump, the 45th president. “He’s going to continue to distract the nation from what really should be a focal point and what really should be upfront. Our nation has gone through two natural disasters that the NFL, not only players, but the (NFL Players Association) as well, has responded to. We’re doing our efforts, as much as we can, to give back to the community.
“For him to sit here and pick apart at a business, at an organization who is trying to make the country better, people who have lost family members, who have lost their homes, their jobs. We’re trying to improve our country, and we certainly don’t need him pointing fingers at us, being a bully, calling us S.O.B.’s, things of that nature.”
Across the league Wednesday, NFL players turned their focus to Week 4’s games in practice. Still, the president’s attention on the league remained a frequent topic of conversation.
“That’s crazy,” Giants wide receiver Dwayne Harris told USA TODAY Sports. “You’re the president of the free world, and you’re worried about football and what people are doing? You’ve got a whole bunch of other stuff to worry about.”