Trump questioned whether the NFL was now telling players it would be OK to kneel during the anthemGETTY IMAGES
President Trump has long had "two cherished American institutions standing beside him as he railed against athletes taking a knee during the national anthem: NASCAR and the NFL," but this week, they both "started to walk away," according to Meridith McGraw of POLITICO. Bending to the "cultural moment," NASCAR and the NFL recently have "reversed course on their approach to athletes protesting racial injustice." Yet Trump "stood his ground" and even "attacked [NFL Commissioner Roger] Goodell, wondering whether the commissioner was telling players 'that it would now be O.K. for the players to KNEEL, or not to stand, for the national anthem.'” The "changing tenor from the two leagues could be pivotal for Trump." The president has "long leaned on the front offices of each organization as he has publicly attacked athletes who took a knee during the national anthem, and privately pressured some team owners to change anthem rules" (POLITICO, 6/14).
FREEDOM TO CHOOSE: The AP's Rob Harris notes FIFA today appealed for "tolerance, mutual respect and common sense" after President Trump denounced the annulment of a policy that required soccer players to stand during the national anthem. Trump retweeted a tweet by U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who wrote: "I'd rather the US not have a soccer team than have a soccer team that wouldn't stand for the National Anthem." FIFA said of Trump's comments, "FIFA strongly advocates for tolerance, mutual respect and common sense when such important matters are debated. FIFA has a zero-tolerance approach to incidents of all forms of discrimination in football, as outlined in the FIFA Statutes. We must all say no to racism and no to violence" (AP, 6/15).
