Two Miami Dolphins players are the first two men to kneel for the National Anthem this year, as they played in one of the early football games that began this morning on the very first day of the NFL season.
Surely, Donald Trump can’t be too happy about this.
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The two players — wide receivers Kenny Stills (10) and Albert Wilson (15) publicly took a knee as you can see (below) ahead of the team’s home game against the Tennessee Titans; reportedly, a third player stood for the anthem with a raised fist, as well:
Miami Dolphins wide receivers Kenny Stills (10) and Albert Wilson (15) kneel during the national anthem before their game against the Tennessee Titans (????: AP) pic.twitter.com/jlgs2xVXm8
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) September 9, 2018
The NFL has been trying to get ahead of this all summer, encouraging teams to remain in the locker room for the anthem so as to avoid this controversy; the league clearly wants no part of having to deal with this.
Good job to Stills and Wilson for opting to exercise their rights as American citizens and non-violently protest injustice in any way they so choose!!!
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…and yet, Trump may force the league’s hand eventually to do something more, if only because he just. Can’t. Stop. Tweeting. About. This.
Here’s what Trump tweeted about the NFL this morning (below):
Wow, NFL first game ratings are way down over an already really bad last year comparison. Viewership declined 13%, the lowest in over a decade. If the players stood proudly for our Flag and Anthem, and it is all shown on broadcast, maybe ratings could come back? Otherwise worse!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 9, 2018
And that follows up this tweet, too, from a few days ago (below):
Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN, Nike is getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts. I wonder if they had any idea that it would be this way? As far as the NFL is concerned, I just find it hard to watch, and always will, until they stand for the FLAG!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2018
Trump’s point of view here is distinctly unpopular, of course, but that’s never stopped him before.
Regardless, now that the NFL has returned, expect to see Trump whining a LOT about things he doesn’t understand over the next seventeen weeks.
It’s going to be a long fall…
[Image via Rob Rich/WENN.]
