On Friday night, President Donald Trump spoke out against NFL players kneeling during the national anthem, protesting racial injustice, first in a speech and then through the weekend on Twitter. In his tweets he called for NFL fans to boycott games "until players stop disrespecting our flag and country," and criticized NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for his statement calling the president's comments, "divisive."
During NFL games Sunday, many players responded by locking arms, kneeling, sitting, or staying in the locker room during the national anthem. A number of owners and the commissioner issued statements rebuking the president for his comments. Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement: "We must not let misguided, uninformed and divisive comments from the President or anyone else deter us from our efforts to unify."
To discuss this merger of politics and sports, we invited author and former NFL player, Steve Sanders, into the conversation.
Watch Monday's full episode of ideas here.
Steve Sanders, Author & Former NFL Player