RACISM/SPORTS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump praised NFL team owners for doing the ‘right thing’ in requiring NFL players to stand during the National Anthem this season, and suggested those who don’t stand maybe ‘shouldn’t be in the country…’ NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the new policy Wednesday [5-23-18], requiring players and personnel to stand for the National Anthem or face fines, though each team may develop its own work rules regarding those who do not comply with the policy. The new policy does give players the option to remain in the locker room during the playing of the anthem if they do not wish to comply…In 2016, Colin Kaepernick, a San Francisco 49ers quarterback at the time, drew national attention for refusing to stand during ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ saying he would not honor a song nor ‘show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.’ It led Trump to suggest during a rally last September that owners should fire their players for taking a knee during the anthem, inserting himself into a national controversy over race and the right to protest.”
-Veronica Stracqualursi, “Trump: NFL players who don’t stand during National Anthem maybe ‘shouldn’t be in the country’,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, May 24, 2018 12:47 pm