On Sunday night, President Donald Trump used Twitter to take issue with National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell’s recent statements on race and Black Lives Matter, Yahoo Sports reported.
Last Friday, in the wake of the nationwide George Floyd protests, Goodell issued a statement that addressed issues of racism that, in his words, the NFL had previously ignored. Without naming names, Goodell appeared to reference the protests that had taken place across the league in which some players knelt during the national anthem to protest police brutality — an act of protest begun by then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick .
“We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter,” the statement reads in part.
The statement went on to state that the nationwide protests are “emblematic” of the oppression that black players, and other African American people affiliated with the NFL in other capacities, have endured for centuries.
In a tweet , Trump asked rhetorically if Goodell’s statement was a tacit admission that the league will allow players to kneel during the national anthem moving forward.
“Could it be even remotely possible that in Roger Goodell’s rather interesting statement of peace and reconciliation, he was intimating that it would now be O.K. for the players to KNEEL, or not to stand, for the National Anthem, thereby disrespecting our Country & our Flag?,” Trump asked.
Ever since the matter of NFL players kneeling erupted in controversy, Trump has been clear that he does not support the practice. At one point, he tweeted that “any son of a b*tch” who kneels during the national anthem should be fired.
The NFL, for its part, did enact a rule in 2018 that requires players to remain standing during the national anthem. However, the rule change, as reported by BBC News , allows players to remain in the locker room during the anthem, if they choose to.
So does Goodell’s statement mean that the NFL is going to rescind the rule and once again allow players to kneel during the anthem?
That question remains unanswered for now. As ESPN reported, the league never actually implemented the 2018 rule change and no player was ever fined for taking a knee during the anthem. Whether or not the NFL will fully rescind the rule and openly allow players to kneel remains to be seen.
Yahoo Sports writer Jack Baer, however, said that Goodell’s statement “asked and answered” Trump’s question for him.