DENVER (AP) – Off the field, President Donald Trump took his digs at the NFL, linking low TV ratings for the season opener to players who refuse to stand for the national anthem.
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
On the field, it was hard to tell what all the fuss was about: Two players kneeled while the “The Star-Spangled Banner” played, another two raised their fist, another two stayed in the locker room. One fan at the Browns game was spotted wearing a Colin Kaepernick jersey.
Other than that, there were no signs of players doing anything out of the ordinary on the NFL’s opening Sunday for a pregame ritual that has taken on new meaning since Kaepernick first kneeled during the anthem two years ago to protest police brutality and social injustice.
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