NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell apparently doesn't agree with President Donald Trump's call to fire players who kneel during the national anthem, the Washington Examiner reported Saturday.
Goodell issued a statement on Twitter Saturday morning saying Trump's suggestion was "divisive" and showed a "lack of respect for the NFL."
Trump made the suggestion while giving a spirited speech at a campaign rally Friday night in Alabama.
"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 is fired. He's fired,'" Trump said.
Trump hit back at Goodell’s remarks later Saturday via Twitter:
The NFL Players Association issued its own statement on Twitter Saturday morning in support of giving players the choice whether or not to kneel during the national anthem, saying it would "never back down."
And, on Saturday morning, former Maryland Democratic Congresswoman Donna Edwards urged all NFL players to kneel during the national anthem on Sunday to protest Trump.
"On Sunday, I hope every @NFL player takes a knee in solidarity w @Kaepernick7 against the white supremacist who squats in our White House," Edwards tweeted.
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Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began the practice in 2016 over what he said were wrongdoings against African Americans and other minorities in the U.S. He subsequently opted out of the final year of his contract, ESPN reported earlier this year.
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