RACISM
‘Appeasing Racists’: Fans Furious Over NFL’s New Ban on Players Protesting Police Violence Against Black People

The NFL caved to pressure from President Donald Trump and banned sideline protests by players against police brutality — and social media users were outraged.
League officials adopted a new policy Wednesday requiring all league and team personnel on the field to remain standing during the playing of the national anthem, although they are no longer required to remain on the field at that time.
The new policy also outlines fines and other disciplinary action against teams whose personnel fail to comply, and lets team set their own rules regarding players who refuse to stand.
Trump personally attacked former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick last year during a political rally, and he kept up his rants against protesting players on Twitter — where other users reacted to the NFL policy.
Forced patriotism is the best kind! https://t.co/S8v0VNpiGz
— Yes, You’re Racist (@YesYoureRacist) May 23, 2018
So the NFL’s response to players disrespecting the country, the flag, and the troops is to actually disrespect the country, the flag, and the troops?
— Carlos (@GryffindorC) May 23, 2018
yeah, sure, the NFL is run by a bunch of elitist old bozos but at least the product on the field
*ruffles through notes*
turns your brain into mush
— evan romano (@EvanRomano) May 23, 2018
The NFL is 80% black. Imagine if they all sat out a Sunday or two…
— Travon Free (@Travon) May 23, 2018
The 32 NFL owners, and the members of the league office, are preposterous turds. I hope this league collapses in on itself like a dying star. https://t.co/p0jxxSXs4z
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) May 23, 2018
I’m done with the @NFL.
— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) May 23, 2018
The NFL is dead to me until they get out of the way of players who want to kneel as a form of protest.
I skipped the entire regular season of football & the super bowl last year, I skip it again this year.
— PrometheusRisesAgain (@prometheus50K) May 23, 2018
If @NFL was gonna make a league-wide no standing policy, they should’ve fined players and banned all demonstrations. Either you’re all in or you’re all out. What they’ve done is a convoluted mess. Expect chaos.
— Francis (@smelllikesugar) May 23, 2018
irony alert: the way i read it, the last part of no. 3 would seem to apply to what kap did *before* reaching the decision to kneel as a show of respect.
none of this is about making sense. it’s just reactionary silliness. https://t.co/EGofW4J3se
— El Flaco (@bomani_jones) May 23, 2018
The NFL making players (and lets face it, it’s about black players) stand for the anthem is not only appeasing racists, it’s un-American.
It’s the exact opposite of freedom. It’s the opposite of controlling your destiny and free expression.
— Aaron T. Starks (@StarkyLuv73) May 23, 2018
The NFL has got to go
— Goapele (@Goapele) May 23, 2018
The @NFL is a case study of how orgs led exclusively by white men can do so much harm to its employees and product, even when they believe they are doing the right thing. Racism extracts a high price #BoycottNFL
— Michael McBride (@pastormykmac) May 23, 2018
The NFL decision sends a huge message to the young black youth of this nation.
And a huge message of validation to the cops that shoot them.
The bully president got his way. 🖕
— Pat Jones #FBR (@oveoblu) May 23, 2018
One interesting note. Since Trump, serving as President, put pressure on the NFL to stop anthem protests, the NFLPA could lay out a case that political pressure caused the change, which could make this a 1st Amendment issue.
— Billy McInerney (@wmcine) May 23, 2018
I am embarrassed, as a pro football fan, by the #NFL‘s new policy. The freedom to peacefully protest is a core American value. The NFL had the chance to vindicate that freedom and instead chose to squelch it to protect its bottom line. The league should do better and be better.
— Andrew Bloom (@TheAndrewBlog) May 23, 2018
Still waiting for NFL to fine teams whose players commit domestic abuse. https://t.co/JDucU2AhzQ
— amy walter (@amyewalter) May 23, 2018
I’m a lifelong NFL fan and proud military veteran, and I will not watch one more goddamn game until this ban on kneeling is lifted. This is about fragile white men–most never had the courage to serve–exploiting my service to silence black athletes. Not on my watch.#TheNFL
— Charlotte Clymer🏳️🌈 (@cmclymer) May 23, 2018
sports league valued at $63B, 90% of whose players are black, caves to the least-popular first-term president in American history. #NFL
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) May 23, 2018
Me, trying to find any NFL owners with common sense pic.twitter.com/tD1mp9Bql6
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) May 23, 2018
I wonder what happens if the NFL players figure out a way to protest while standing up. pic.twitter.com/tXLZisJ5qO
— Neuro Polarbear (@NeuroPolarbear) May 23, 2018
The NFL has once again widened the margin compared to the NBA in showing that they care about the mass majority of their players who have a direct correlation to the issues revolving around the initial protest. pic.twitter.com/3XqPko84rY
— Maliik (@Obee1ne) May 23, 2018
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