The NFL is in trouble.
Ratings are down as anti-American players continue to protest the national anthem.
Now the league put out a statement that spits on the graves of veterans who died fighting for the flag.
After weeks of speculation and controversy, the NFL announced they would not make players stand for the national anthem.
The New York Post reports:
“The NFL said on Friday it has no plans to mandate players stand for the US national anthem, but will rather present a possible solution for how to end the controversial protests when it meets with team owners next week.
Commissioner Roger Goodell, along with the head of the NFL Players Association, will meet with the owners Oct. 17-18 in New York, where the issue of player protests during the national anthem is expected to command much attention.
“(Goodell) has a plan that he is going to present to owners about how to use our platform to both raise awareness and make progress on issues of social justice and equality in this country,” NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said on a conference call.
“What we don’t have is a proposal that changes our policy, we don’t have something that mandates anything. That’s clear. If that was the case, I doubt the head of the NFLPA would have put a joint statement out with us.”
The statement released Wednesday said Goodell invited NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith to the meetings and that the agenda will be a continuation of how to make progress on the important social issues that players have vocalized.”
The protests have incited intense fan backlash.
Ratings are down and crowds boo players who kneel for the anthem.
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel denounced the league as “unpatriotic.”
Ratings for unpatriotic NFL declining? Shocked.https://t.co/OSLPQCykmN
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) October 14, 2017
And Donald Trump used a portion of his weekly address to declare that all players should stand for the national anthem.
Townhall reports:
“America’s men and women in uniform have carried our flag into battle and given their lives to protect it. Our Star Spangled Banner flew above Fort McHenry in the “Dawn’s Early Light.” Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders carried it to victory at the Battle of San Juan Hill. And our heroic Marines raised it over Iwo Jima.
Every day millions of American citizens raise it, salute it, and honor it on the home front. American workers hang Old Glory above factory floors where they proudly stamp their products “Made in the USA” and more and more products are being so stamped because our economy is starting to boom. We are doing really well. Companies are moving back into the United States and far fewer will be moving out. Believe me. And it’s already happened. American schoolchildren put their hands on their hearts as they recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Before watching a football game, you want to see those players be proud of their country. Respect our country. Respect our flag. And respect our national anthem and we think they will. We certainly hope they will.
We honor the flag, we pay tribute to the men and women who have given everything for its defense. We renew the bonds of love and loyalty we owe to our fellow citizens—to every American who looks to the Stars and Stripes and sees woven into its fabric their past, their future, and their place in our great American family.”
The league’s decision to cater to radical, America-hating players will only further alienate their remaining fans.
Do you agree?
Let us know in the comments.