President Trump disparaged the NFL once again on Wednesday, saying that the league's business "is going to go to hell" if players are continued to be allowed to protest during the national anthem.

Talking to reporters outside the White House, Trump again claimed the NFL's TV ratings were down because of the protests. But the league reported a 3% increase for Week 3 games compared to last year.

"I think the NFL is in a box. I think they're in a really bad box," Trump said. "You look at what's happening with their ratings. You look at what's happening going ... frankly the only thing that's doing well for the NFL is the pregame, because everyone wants to see what's going on. The NFL is in a very bad box. You cannot have people disrespecting our national anthem, our flag, our country, and that's what they're doing.

"In my opinion, the NFL has to change, or you know what's going to happen? Their business is going to go to hell."

Trump was asked about the players' first amendment rights, but maintained players should not protest during the national anthem.

"We have to respect our national anthem. We have to respect our country. And they're not respecting our country," Trump said. "And most importantly, the fans agree with me. I mean, largely, the fans agree. But we have to show total respect for our national anthem, for our flag, for our country, we have to do it. There are plenty of places ... Personally, when they're protesting during a football game, I think they can find better places. But they cannot do it during the national anthem."

More than 200 players did not stand during the national anthem before NFL games over the weekend.

Trump, during a speech last weekend in Alabama and subsequent tweets, called out the league and its players for those protests, which garnered a pushback throughout the league.