Written by Jack Maloney at CBS Sports.com
Across the NBA on Monday during media day, players and coaches offered their thoughts on President Donald Trump’s recent comments regarding national anthem demonstrations in the NFL and the Warriors’ rescinded White House invite, as well as the state of society and the country.
Notably, Bradley Beal called Trump a “clown,” LeBron James from the weekend, and Greg Popovich called the country an “embarrassment to the world.”
In Washington, Wizards star point guard John Wall also shared his thoughts about the recent protests in the NFL, and called on two star quarterbacks, Tom Brady of the New England Patriots and the Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, to take a stand.
Wall said nothing will actually change for the better until the league’s biggest names and stars are leading the charge to make it happen.
John Wall calls on Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers to take a stand
(via @CSNMA) pic.twitter.com/acsl4J8OY2
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) September 25, 2017
Wall’s full comments:
“Most of our franchise guys or big-time players in the league are African-Americans. You have Chris Paul, you have Dwyane Wade, you have Carmelo Anthony, you have LeBron James that went and talked at the ESPYs. Until the guys that are the face of the [NFL] — African-American guys come from college and they’re great quarterbacks. You get to the NFL, what do they try to do? Change our position. Why? Because franchise guys are quarterbacks.
“So you have guys like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers — love those guys, very talented. Until those guys come out and speak, I don’t think the NFL is going to make any adjustments. Remember when we were dealing with our stuff, with [former Clippers owner] Donald Sterling and all that type of things, it was like, ‘Well if LeBron and those guys don’t come out, if Kobe don’t come out and say nothing, it’s never going to be a stand taken.’ When those guys came out and started talking, what happened? He’s fired. The stand stood. Until those guys in the NFL come up and stand up for Kaepernick and for those guys … until they do that, I don’t think anything’s going to change.”
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