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Trump says locked arms during national anthem are ‘good’ but kneeling ‘is not acceptable’

Globe Staff,September 24, 2017, 8:04 a.m.
More than a dozen Patriots players either kneeled or locked arms in solidarity during the national anthem before Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans. It was the Patriots’ first form of public protest.
More than a dozen Patriots players either kneeled or locked arms in solidarity during the national anthem before Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans. It was the Patriots’ first form of public protest.

President Trump weighed in on NFL player protests Sunday afternoon with a tweet that said that locked arms are “good” but kneeling “is not acceptable.”

Later in the afternoon, Trump tweeted:

Trump earlier Sunday resumed his attacks on the NFL, demanding the league “fire or suspend” players who refused to stand during the national anthem

Trump’s most recent comments mark the latest in an escalating back-and-forth with the NFL over player protests during the national anthem. It began when Trump ripped into players in a speech in Alabama Friday night, saying, ‘‘Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you’d say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired.’ ”

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The league commissioner, Roger Goodell, fired back in a statement Saturday, saying, “Divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our players.”

DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL player’s association, responded to the president, saying “We will never back down. We no longer can afford to stick to sports.’’ Many individual players also responded to Trump over Twitter.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, then of the San Francisco 49ers, began protesting the national anthem in 2016, stirring controversy throughout the league. A number of other players joined the protests over the year.

Kaepernick became a free agent and was not signed by any NFL team this season.

The back-and-forth wasn’t the only sports-related controversy for Trump this weekend. The president also publicly disinvited NBA star Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors from the White House for his team’s traditional championship visit. The move caused instant backlash from NBA players, including stars like LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Draymond Green.

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