Two different NFL teams, the Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys, have now publicized that they are forcing their players to stand for the national anthem or risk punishment from the team. There are rumblings among players for other teams that their outfits have already done or are about to do the exact same thing. In doing so, these teams are caving to the very public demands of the president of the United States — and questions have been raised about whether Donald Trump may have broken the law in issuing these demands. Let me break it down.

For months on end, Trump demeaned NFL players who took a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial violence in America. But his complaints hit a crescendo last month at a political rally in Alabama when he not only described kneeling players as sons of bitches, but said that they should be yanked off the field. Capitalizing on the political momentum and attention he received from the remarks, Trump has now either commented or tweeted about the NFL nonstop for weeks on end.

Colin Kaepernick, however, still does not have a job. And police brutality and racial violence continue unabated in this country. That’s why these men are taking a knee or having a seat during the anthem. It’s why these men are raising a fist. These men aren’t disrespecting the flag or the military — in fact, some of them come from military families. What they are saying is actually patriotic: Every single player protesting has repeatedly said they want this country to uphold its promises and live up to its ideals.

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, though, saw an opportunity to hijack the demonstrations. Last weekend, they orchestrated a publicity stunt, with Pence going to an Indianapolis Colts game, only to deliberately make a spectacle by walking out after players from the visiting 49ers took a knee. Trump acknowledged that the president had told Pence to walk out if any players took a knee, but at least one player from the 49ers has taken a knee in every game for the past 14 months. They knew this was going to happen.

In other words, it was a pre-planned protest — which is wild, because Pence used a football game to make a point about how he doesn’t want players to use a football game to make a point.

On September 27, weeks before Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made it clear that he would bench players who did not stand for the anthem, Trump tweeted about a conversation he had with Jones. In an interview on Monday with NFL analyst Chris Mortensen, Jones admitted that Trump had reminded him of the mechanism he used to beat back the players’ demonstration. Trump then congratulated Jones for agreeing to bench players who did protest.