Marshawn Lynch #24 of the Oakland Raiders on the sidelines in a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on August 26 in Arlington, Texas. | Tom Pennington/Getty Images Trump attacks Raiders' Marshawn Lynch for standing for Mexican anthem, sitting for U.S. anthem

President Donald Trump singled out Oakland Raiders football player Marshawn Lynch Monday morning, suggesting that the running back had shown “great disrespect” by *sitting* for the U.S. national anthem and standing for the Mexican one before his team’s game on Sunday, played in Mexico City.

“Marshawn Lynch of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders stands for the Mexican Anthem and sits down to boos for our National Anthem. Great disrespect!” Trump wrote online. “Next time NFL should suspend him for remainder of season. Attendance and ratings way down.”


Like other NFL players, Lynch has declined to stand for the U.S. national anthem before every game this year, a protest dozens have players have made against racial inequality and police brutality. Because the Raiders’ game against the New England Patriots was played in Mexico City, the Mexican national anthem was also played before the game.



Marshawn Lynch sits during the US national anthem, stands for Mexican anyhem pic.twitter.com/8wdaKprEki — Ben Volin (@BenVolin) November 19, 2017

Spokespeople for the Raiders did not immediately return requests for a comment from Lynch, a beloved but controversial figure in the NFL, known for his on-field antics, physical style of play and the sometimes comedic lengths he has gone to to avoid speaking to reporters. Lynch has not publicly explained his anthem protests, but did arrive at a road game in Denver last month wearing an “everybody vs. Trump” T-shirt.

Protests during the national anthem have incensed Trump, whose public comments on the issue have metastasized it from an NFL-specific controversy to one that has engrossed the entire nation. Trump has suggested that players who refuse to stand for the national anthem be cut from their teams and claimed the league’s unwillingness to discipline players who protest during the anthem has led to a dip in interest in the NFL.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘get that son of a bitch off the field right now — he’s fired,’” Trump said at a rally in Alabama last September.