President Donald Trump criticized Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch and called for the NFL to suspend him.
Trump took to Twitter Monday morning to call out Lynch for standing during the Mexican national anthem and sitting during the United States national anthem at a game against the New England Patriots in Mexico City on Sunday.
Marshawn Lynch sits during the US national anthem, stands for Mexican anyhem pic.twitter.com/8wdaKprEki
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) November 19, 2017
Trump called Lynch a “great disrespect,” and he suggested that the NFL suspend Lynch for the rest of the season and again, claimed the anthem protests are the reason the NFL attendance and ratings are down without citing any source or records indicating that this be true.
Marshawn Lynch of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders stands for the Mexican Anthem and sits down to boos for our National Anthem. Great disrespect! Next time NFL should suspend him for remainder of season. Attendance and ratings way down.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2017
Trump has been relentless in attacking NFL players for their national anthem protests. Last month, he called on NFL owners to fire players for protesting during the national anthem, which Trump said he believes is disrespectful toward the flag and military victims.
All of the NFL protests have been quiet gestures stemming from free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest last season. The former 49ers quarterback took a knee to protest against police violence, specifically against African-Americans and people of color.
This is also the second time in the last week Trump has criticized African American athletes on Twitter.
Trump helped negotiate a deal with China to release three UCLA basketball players, including LiAngelo Ball, from prison after they were caught shoplifting. Trump asked when the three were going to thank him, and then he took to Twitter Sunday to call out LaVar Ball for being ungrateful for what the President did.
“I should’ve left them in jail!” Trump wrote in a tweet.
Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2017
Shoplifting is a very big deal in China, as it should be (5-10 years in jail), but not to father LaVar. Should have gotten his son out during my next trip to China instead. China told them why they were released. Very ungrateful!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2017
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