Trump has no right questioning patriotism of NFL players

Nancy Armour | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption NFL, players union at temporary standstill on anthem policy The NFL has backed down on its controversial policy... for now. USA TODAY Sports' Lindsay H. Jones explains why.

Of all weeks, this was not the one for President Donald Trump to lecture anybody on patriotism and respecting our country.

In what can only be seen as a thinly veiled attempt to distract attention from the confirmation that there’s a tape of him talking about paying off a Playboy model with whom he allegedly had an affair, Trump teed off on the NFL once again Friday night. He called on Commissioner Roger Goodell to kick players out of a game if they kneel during the national anthem and to suspend them without pay for the season if they do it again.

If only the president would realize he isn’t an autocrat like the man he so admires, Vladimir Putin. You know, the one Trump fawned over on Monday despite knowing for more than 18 months that Putin personally ordered the hacking of our electoral process, which just so happens to be the cornerstone of our democracy.

But the Constitution and the ideals on which this country are founded mean little to Trump. If they did, he’d understand that the player protests have never been about the flag, the anthem, the military or the police. They’re about trying to draw attention to the racial and economic discrimination that continues to divide our country – a divide Trump deepens every opportunity he gets.

“He has no understanding of why they take a knee or why they’re protesting,” New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this week.

This is why the NFL owners made a colossal mistake by adopting a new policy for the national anthem in May. Players can stay in the locker room, but are expected to stand if they are on the field. Teams whose players protest can be fined by the NFL.

More: NFL, players call truce on anthem rules as discussions continue

More: Giants players will not be punished for kneeling during anthem

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There likely would have been a handful of players, at most, who would have protested this season. It had become a non-issue because of the agreement between the NFL and The Players Coalition to devote money and a platform to social justice.

The NFL National Anthem Debate is alive and well again - can’t believe it! Isn’t it in contract that players must stand at attention, hand on heart? The $40,000,000 Commissioner must now make a stand. First time kneeling, out for game. Second time kneeling, out for season/no pay! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 20, 2018

But the NFL owners were petrified that Trump would make it an issue ahead of the midterm elections. What they failed to realize is that he would have done so regardless because he still harbors a grudge that the NFL didn’t want him in its club. Twice. That, and he has nothing else to sell his base but fear and hate of black and brown people.

Look, I get the player protests are a highly emotional issue. I also understand that some people will never be able to look beyond the method to hear the message. But protests are not meant to make people comfortable – just the opposite, actually.

To bring about change, people have to realize it’s necessary.

Democracy is hard and it’s often messy, but it’s worth it. That’s what’s gotten lost here. Respecting the symbols of our freedom is pointless if we’re not willing to respect and defend the ideals they represent. An American president, of all people, should know this.

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Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.