Trump says the NFL is ‘weak and out of control’

Donald Trump resumed attacking the National Football League on Tuesday, saying the league is ‘weak and out of control’ for allowing players to kneel during the playing of the National Anthem without any consequences.

‘At least 24 players kneeling this weekend at NFL stadiums that are now having a very hard time filling up,’ the president tweeted, referring to the much-noted empty seats that have drawn unwanted attention in television broadcasts 

‘The American public is fed up with the disrespect the NFL is paying to our Country, our Flag and our National Anthem,’ he wrote.

Trump blasted the league’s commissioner on Black Friday for ‘losing control’ of players after New York Giants defensive end Olivier Vernon took a knee for the anthem on Thanksgiving Day.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday morning on Twitter that the ‘weak and out of control’ NFL is losing its audience because it allows players to kneel during the National Anthem

Trump resumed his campaign against the league after more than two dozen players joined the protest before Thanksgiving weekend games

Trump resumed his campaign against the league after more than two dozen players joined the protest before Thanksgiving weekend games

Several Seattle Seahawks players knelt and sat on the bench during the playing of the National Anthem on Sunday before playing the San Francisco 49ers

Several Seattle Seahawks players knelt and sat on the bench during the playing of the National Anthem on Sunday before playing the San Francisco 49ers

‘Can you believe that the disrespect for our Country, our Flag, our Anthem continues without penalty to the players?’ he asked in a Friday morning Twitter rant.

‘The Commissioner has lost control of the hemorrhaging league. Players are the boss!’  

Vernon, 27, came under heavy fire from fans for his protest. 

Trump has previously demanded that NFL players who kneel during the anthem to protest the treatment of African-Americans should be fired or suspended. 

‘The NFL is now thinking about a new idea – keeping teams in the Locker Room during the National Anthem next season. That’s almost as bad as kneeling!’ he wrote last week.

‘When will the highly paid Commissioner finally get tough and smart? This issue is killing your league!’ 

TV commentators have noticed tons of empty seats at NFL games this season, a phenomenon that Trump has linked to the protests

TV commentators have noticed tons of empty seats at NFL games this season, a phenomenon that Trump has linked to the protests

Some players and teams have stayed in their locker rooms before games this year, emerging only after the National Anthem is played in order to avoid the decision of whether or not to stand.

Nine days ago Trump slammed Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch for continuing to sit for The Star Spangled Banner, despite standing for the Mexican anthem during a game played at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. 

NFL viewership on television was down about 5 percent over the first seven weeks of the NFL season, according to CNN. However, that decline is part of an overall downtick in ratings.  

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk