Written by Scooby Axson at SI.com
President Donald Trump continued his almost daily social media commentary on the National Football League and the issue of player protests implying that NFL Commissioner is demanding that players stand for the anthem.
Trump tweeted on Wednesday “It is about time that Roger Goodell of the NFL is finally demanding that all players STAND for our great National Anthem-RESPECT OUR COUNTRY.”
It is about time that Roger Goodell of the NFL is finally demanding that all players STAND for our great National Anthem-RESPECT OUR COUNTRY
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2017
Goodell hasn’t demanded anything of the players, but said that he thinks “everyone should stand for the National Anthem.”
The NFL said in a statement that Trump statement in the tweet is “not accurate.”
“The NFL is doing the hard work of trying to move from protest to progress, working to bring people together,” the league said.
Goodell has said that the protests concerning the anthem are “threatening to erode the unifying power of our game, and is now dividing us, and our players, from many fans across the country.”
“We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues,” Goodell said in a memo. “The controversy over the anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players.”
The NFL’s owners are set to meet next week to discuss the issue.
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