The Dallas Cowboys, led by owner Jerry Jones, take a knee prior to the national anthem. “Too much talk, not enough action,” President Trump tweeted at the NFL Wednesday. “Stand for the National Anthem.” | Matt York/AP Photo Trump: 'Not enough action' from NFL over anthem protests

President Donald Trump told the National Football League on Wednesday that it wasn’t taking “enough action” to stop players from kneeling during the national anthem, which some athletes are doing to protest racial inequality and police brutality.

“Too much talk, not enough action,” Trump tweeted at the NFL. “Stand for the National Anthem.”


NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell faced a torrent of Trump-related questions earlier Wednesday during a news conference capping two days of meetings between owners and players. Goodell, who said he has not communicated with Trump, told reporters that players should stand during the anthem but that the league hasn’t shifted its policy to require players to do so.

“That’s an important part of our policy. It’s also an important part of our game that we all take great pride in, and it’s also important for us to honor our flag and to our country, and we think our fans expect us to do that,” Goodell said.

He said only a half-dozen players continue to kneel during the anthem, and his goal is to reduce that number to zero. He also said the league and its owners have listened to players' concerns and plan to address the underlying issue of what they’re protesting when they kneel during the national anthem.

“We’re not afraid of the tough conversations,” he said. “That’s what we’re having with our players. That’s what we had yesterday to make sure we understand one another and understand where they’re coming from, and I think out of those discussions, they understand the owners and the NFL really do care about their issues and what we can do to make the communities better.”

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The president had tweeted Wednesday morning that it’s “total disrespect for our great country!” that the league won’t “force players to stand" for the national anthem, an argument Goodell rejected.

“They are not doing this in any way to be disrespectful to the flag, but they also understand how it’s being interpreted,” he said. “That’s why we’re trying to deal with those underlying issues.”

