Trump lauds NFL policy banning kneeling for national anthem

WASHINGTON (AP/WISH)  – President Donald Trump says the NFL is doing the right thing with a policy banning kneeling during the national anthem.

Trump spoke to “Fox & Friends” in an interview airing Thursday. The policy forbids players from sitting or taking a knee on the field during the anthem but allows them to stay in the locker room. Any violations of the new rules would result in fines against teams.

Trump says he doesn’t think people should be standing in locker rooms, but he praised the plan overall.

He says, “You have to stand proudly for the national anthem. Or you shouldn’t be playing, you shouldn’t be there, maybe you shouldn’t be in the country.”

Trump criticized players kneeling during the anthem during a rally last fall.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay released this statement:

“I, along with Colts players and employees, remain committed to utilizing our unique platform to address social issues and community ills in a positive manner. The NFL’s new anthem policy and corresponding statement reinforces that commitment and our patriotism should never be in doubt.”

The ACLU of Indiana offered the following statement:

“The new NFL policy barring players from kneeling on the field goes against the free speech values that we fight for at the ACLU. For the mainly white and wealthy NFL owners who oppose these protests, kneeling during the national anthem shows disrespect, but failing to protest injustice in America is dangerous. Respect and love for America doesn’t require blindness to America’s failure to honor its promise of racial justice and equality. As a private entity the NFL is within its rights to set this policy, but as Americans we can also take action to tell the NFL to stop silencing its players. The ACLU is circulating a petition telling the NFL to respect players’ voices and to rescind this policy.”