US President Donald Trump has said that he would not watch the NFL and his country's professional league, if the players had not stood up for national peace.
Last week, the American Game Federation abandoned its demand for players to stand during national peace, and said its policy was wrong and detracting from the "Blacks Life is Important" movement.
The federation adopted this policy in 2017, when Megan Rapino, the national team player, was found dead during the National Peace in solidarity with Colin Kapernick, the former game star who died before the 2016 game to draw attention to racial discrimination.
The Priviledged Colin Rand Kaepernick Seen Wearing Pig Cop Socks https://t.co/yJY8OvAEJI via @the_real_fly pic.twitter.com/ily2Q5pBVV
- iBankCoin (@ iBankCoin4tw) September 1, 2016
Trump wrote on Twitter that, in response to the Republican Party’s Congressman Matt Gates, he criticized the game’s union’s decision, “I will not watch more (more matches).”
I won't be watching much anymore! https://t.co/s8nCg9EJSW
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2020
"It looks like the Football League is going in the same direction, but I will not watch the matches," Trump added.
The League's game commissioner Roger Goudel said this month that the "tournament (organizer)" made the mistake of not listening to players and denouncing racism in the country in the midst of protests against police violence against blacks.
The problem came to the fore again last month after the murder of George Floyd, who died in the custody of the Minneapolis police after a white policeman slammed his neck for several minutes.
Trump has previously criticized the players who perished during the national peace, and previously wrote on Twitter that NFL players who did this "do not respect our country or our flag."