NFL owners worried about Trump on anthem
When NFL players, owners and the commissioner met in New York last October ostensibly to talk about protests, President Trump and the controversy surrounding quarterback Colin Kaepernick, some of owners seemed more concerned with the image of the league and the impact of criticism from the White House, according to audio of the meeting obtained by The New York Times.
The newspaper characterized the meeting as both sides talking past each other.
Philadelphia defensive lineman Chris Long said if Kaepernick were on a roster “all this negativeness and divisiveness could be turned into a positive.” And Eric Reid, a former teammate of Kaepernick’s, said he felt the quarterback was being blackballed.
“I feel like he was hung out to dry,” Reid said, according to the Times. “Everyone in here is talking about how much they support us. ... Nobody stepped up and said we support Colin’s right to do this.
“We all let him become Public Enemy No. 1 in this country, and he still doesn’t have a job.”
At one point, New England owner Robert K. Kraft said he wanted to talk about, “This kneeling.” And then he took a shot at Trump, whom he has supported: “The problem we have is, we have a president who will use that as fodder to do his mission that I don’t feel is in the best interests of America. ... It’s divisive and it’s horrible.”
Said Philadelphia owner Jeffrey Lurie, referencing Trump’s critical tweets and comments about the NFL, “We’ve got to be careful not to be baited by Trump or whomever else. We have to find a way to not be divided and not get baited.” Lurie called Trump’s presidency “disastrous” and urged players and owners not to be “divided.”
The meeting lasted three hours and concluded with a joint statement calling it “productive.”
Looking back now, former NFL kicker and activist Chris Kluwe sees significance in the owners’ positions.
“I’m not surprised at all,” he told USA TODAY on Wednesday. “It was clearly obvious all along that the owners are just interested in making more money. That’s been clear for years, whether we are talking about concussions, prescription pills or not letting a player peacefully protest.”
He also does not believe Kaepernick will play again: “I don’t think the owners sat around and said collectively, ‘We are not going to give Kap a job.’ But they are closed-minded and not brave enough to deal with the backlash if they do sign him.”
On the comments of Kraft, Lurie and Long, Kluwe said: “Kraft and Lurie say they don’t agree with Trump, but they had no answer when Chris Long asked why Kaepernick hasn’t been signed. Their words don’t match their actions. The owners’ actions, in fact, show they are willing to support Trump by their silence.”
Kaepernick started kneeling in 2016 as a protest against racial injustice and police brutality, Reid was the first player to kneel alongside him and, according to the Times, attended the meeting wearing a Kaepernick T-shirt.
At the time of the rather extraordinary gathering, NFL TV ratings were dropping, fans were threatening to boycott and sponsors were becoming disgruntled with the league as more than 200 players knelt during the anthem as a peaceful protest.
Bills owner Terry Pegula said the NFL was “under assault” and suggested the league needed a player spokesperson — comparable to Charlton Heston’s former role with the National Rifle Association — as a way to clean up the league’s image.
“For us to have a face, as an African American, at least a face that could be in the media,” Pegula said, “we could fall in behind that.”
Texans owner Bob McNair urged players to stop kneeling.
“You fellas need to ask your compadres, fellas, stop that other business, let’s go out and do something that really produces positive results, and we’ll help you,” he said.
According to a person with knowledge of the meeting, neither the players nor the owners were aware they were being recorded, though it is not clear who did the taping. The person requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.