President Trump continued the war against NFL players not standing for the national anthem Thursday, declaring that NFL team owners need to stop pandering to their players and being afraid of them.

Trump claimed that NFL owners have previously told him in private that they’re in “a situation where they have to do something.”

Trump told “Fox and Friends” host Pete Hegseth “I think they’re afraid of their players, if you want to know the truth, and I think it’s disgraceful.”

“They’ve got to be tough, and they’ve got to be smart.” the President continued, adding that “most people” are with him on the issue and the NFL is “in a box”.

Describing the players refusing to stand for the anthem, Trump said it is a a “terrible thing.”

“The NFL cannot disrespect our country. They cannot disrespect our flag or our national anthem, and they can’t have people sitting down or kneeling down during our national anthem,” he said.

.@POTUS on anthem protests: “The NFL cannot disrespect our country. They cannot disrespect our flag or our national anthem.” @foxandfriends pic.twitter.com/AGBTrPPtuB — Fox News (@FoxNews) September 28, 2017

“When it comes to the respect of our nation, when it comes to the respect of our anthem and our flag — they have no choice. You have to have people stand with respect,” Trump concluded.

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