In the wake of President Trump canceling the Eagles' White House visit and again weighing in on player protests, many Twitter commentators remarked on how the NFL's new policy on the national anthem has failed to make the issue go away. CNBC.com's Christina Wilkie: "NFL owners were wrong to think their new anthem rule would quiet Trump. Instead, it emboldens Trump by confirming to him that his instincts about the anthem issue were right: it’s a powerful political weapon. Expect to hear more -- not less -- about it from Trump going forward." WFAN's Mike Francesa: "The Trump/Eagles conflict shows the NFL has not moved one inch past the anthem issue." Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel: "The NFL thought it could appease him?" ESPN's Darren Rovell: "NFL owners thought that creating the locker room option for the National Anthem would be a compromise. They were wrong. Now Trump is attacking that." Pro Football Talk's Michael David Smith: "Dear NFL owners: Donald Trump will never stop trying to score political points at your expense. You can either stand up for yourselves and look strong, or keep trying to placate him and look weak. Up to you." Former NFLer Desmond Howard: "It pains me to watch the league and its owners being lead down a path towards moral bankruptcy." Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman: "Continues to show how dumb the owners were to kowtow to him." Former Ft. Worth Star-Telegram reporter Clarence Hill Jr.: "Why has the NFL not put out a statement supporting its championship franchise and it's players? Cowardly act."
PLAYING LIKE CHAMPIONS: Sports writer Molly Knight tweeted, "Now we’ve got the last NBA and NFL champs refusing to shake Trump’s hand en masse. Next NHL and MLB champs are on notice." N.Y. Times' Astead Herndon: "Important to note that in other sports, like baseball or NASCAR or the Olympics, Trump has welcomed champions without incident. It's basketball and football, America's sports with most prominent black athletes and fanbases, which have been target of this administration's ire."
