Donald Trump Says NFL Is 'Very Weak'; 'Nobody' Asked for Roger Goodell's Video
June 18, 2020
President Donald Trump has once again criticized the NFL, this time addressing commissioner Roger Goodell's video statement in which he condemned racism and vowed to support players who exercise their right to peacefully protest.
In an interview on Fox News' Hannity (h/t ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio), Trump called the NFL "very weak" for not forcing players to stand for the national anthem before games.
Trump also said he was "surprised" at Goodell's statement because "nobody was even asking for it.”
In the video released June 5, Goodell said the NFL condemns "racism and the systematic oppression of black people" and admitted being wrong "for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest." He added that "we, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter."
That came out 24 hours after a group of players, including Patrick Mahomes, Saquon Barkley, Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins, released a video asking the NFL to condemn racism and acknowledge its wrongdoing "in silencing our players for peacefully protesting."
Trump has spent a significant portion of his time as president criticizing NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to protest systemic racism. He told the crowd at an Alabama rally in 2017 that team owners should "get that son of a b---h off the field right now" when a player protests.
With the prospect of NFL players kneeling during the anthem, Trump tweeted June 13 that he won't be watching games this season.