How the NFL's Response to President Trump's Remarks Sparked My Interest in Week 3

It is highly likely that Week 3 of the NFL season will end up offering more events that spark my interest than any other week in this year. Why? For starters, the Thursday Night Football Game ended up being a shootout, something absolutely no one saw coming. The early slate of games was crazy, with a game winning 61-yard field goal for the Eagles and some crazy calls that changed the outcome of some games.

I also considered doing this week's post entirely about the Seahawks vs. Titans game, which featured lots of penalties, Richard Sherman exploding at the referee (and drawing 3 fouls on one play), a late hit by Sherman on Titians QB Marcus Mariota that somehow didn't get him ejected, a really bad first half for both teams followed by a second half offensive explosion, and more.

However, it was President Trump’s remarks at a rally in Alabama saying the NFL owners should fire players who took a knee in protest that stole the show this past weekend.

Immediately after hearing them I expected more players to show unity and assumed the notoriously united Seattle Seahawks to do something as a team. I don’t know if I expected them (and the Tennessee Titans or any other team) to stay in the locker room.

The NFL is right not to fine the Hawks and Titans for their absence during the national anthem, or else it would have had the same effect as owners firing players – punishing those who, in the President’s mind are disrespecting the Star-Spangled Banner – and dominated headlines and taken away from the rest of the NFL’s response. Both teams made huge statements by staying inside and I hope more teams will follow suite.

A team that could have made a bigger statement was the Oakland Raiders, who according to coach Jack De Rio, wanted to stay in the locker room during the national anthem, but because the coin toss during Sunday Night Football games is before the anthem, they would have forfeited their choice (heads or tails) and whether they wanted the ball/which direction to go. In addition, they could have possibly drawn a 15-yard un-sportsmanlike conduct penalty. However, I think they should have screwed that and stayed in, as it would have sent a very powerful message to President Trump that they were willing to sacrifice football in order to exercise their First Amendment Rights as American Citizens and stand up to bullying.

Before all of that was what I believe to be the biggest statement of the day, when the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Baltimore Ravens played in London, in a game that started at 9:30am EST. This was the first game to be played since the President’s comments, because he spoke after the Thursday Night Game, and boy, did it set a precedent for the day.

The Jaguars owner, Shahid Khan, locked arms with a pair of African-American players during the national anthem in one of the best responses to the President all weekend. Khan, is a Pakistani-born, Muslim billionaire who didn’t become a US citizen until 1991 and is the first non-white owner in NFL history. It was his uniqueness that is so anti-President Trump that made his actions so powerful. Author Blank (Falcons), Daniel Snyder (Redskins), and Jerry Jones (Cowboys) were among the owners who took a stand with players, locked arms, and took a knee with them in more defiant protests to President Trump.

At the end of the week, the NFL showed that they will stand up to bulling, no matter who it’s from, and that they will unite when it comes to an important common cause. Team owners made a big statement by joining in on the response in a defiant rejection to the President, whose comments were taken up by NASCAR, since some teams have said that they will fire drivers who don’t stand, something I blatantly disagree with, on both moral and Constitutional grounds.

I expect players responses to continue and grow until the President makes some sort of an apology. But, I hope that even after that happens, we continue to see people with large platforms try to make a positive, lasting difference in our world.

Events that Sparked My Interest is a series that I’m starting with the new NFL Season. It will contain 2-3 thoughts, notes, or other events that sparked interest during the week and will be posted on Tuesday’s. 

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