After the NFL changed their policy, requiring players to stand and “show respect” for the national anthem, the conventional wisdom held that fear of a strong reaction from President Trump was a major factor in forcing the NFL to enact the new rule.

While conventional wisdom is often wrong, in this case it wasn’t.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, NFL owners actually considered doing nothing about anthem policy, given how few players were protesting at the end of the year. However, the owners feared that if they did nothing they would be vulnerable if Trump targeted the league in another fiery speech. Similar to the speech Trump gave last fall, when he called NFL protesters “sons of bitches.”

When Breer asked Packers President Mark Murphy if the subject of Trump came up, Murphy was direct.

“Oh yeah,” Murphy said. “It was more how might react, anticipating that. Also, how the fans will react, how the media will react. That’s what we tried to think through. … No matter what we did, would probably try to get involved one way or the other—either criticizing us or taking credit for the change.”

According to Breer, “The point, though, wasn’t belabored. One owner recalled Trump’s name coming up three times, and never for any extended time.” – READ MORE