President Donald Trump said he wants to meet with NFL players and other athletes who kneel during the National Anthem so they can recommend people they think should be pardoned due to unfair treatment by the justice system.
"I'm going to ask them to recommend to me people who were unfairly treated," Trump said at White House Friday. Trump's contentious relationship with the NFL reached a peak last year when he lambasted players who took a knee during the National Anthem to protest institutionalized racism and police brutality.
"You have a lot of people in the NFL in particular, but in sports leagues, they're not proud enough to stand for our National Anthem. I don't like that," Trump said Friday, also insisting that players should not remain in the locker room when the "Star Spangled Banner" is playing.
"What I'm going to do is, I'm going to say to them instead of talk ... I am going to ask all of those people to recommend to me -- because that's what they're protesting -- people that they think were unfairly treated by the justice system," Trump said. "And I understand that."
He added, "If the athletes have friends of theirs or people they know about that have been unfairly treated by the system, let me know."
Last year, Trump suggested to NFL owners that they "get that son of a bitch off the field right now" and fire players who don't stand for the playing of the National Anthem.
Recently, the NFL implemented a new policy that teams could choose to require athletes in their arenas to stand during the playing of the anthem. It also gave players the option of remaining off the field, in the locker rooms, during the playing of the anthem if they choose not to stand for it.
On Friday, Trump called his presidential power to pardon people a "beautiful thing," adding that "you got to get it right." The President also floated a pardon for posthumous boxing great Muhammad Ali, though the athlete's attorney said that is "unnecessary" because the Supreme Court overturned his previous conviction.
"I'm going to ask them to recommend to me people who were unfairly treated," Trump said at White House Friday. Trump's contentious relationship with the NFL reached a peak last year when he lambasted players who took a knee during the National Anthem to protest institutionalized racism and police brutality.
"You have a lot of people in the NFL in particular, but in sports leagues, they're not proud enough to stand for our National Anthem. I don't like that," Trump said Friday, also insisting that players should not remain in the locker room when the "Star Spangled Banner" is playing.
"What I'm going to do is, I'm going to say to them instead of talk ... I am going to ask all of those people to recommend to me -- because that's what they're protesting -- people that they think were unfairly treated by the justice system," Trump said. "And I understand that."
He added, "If the athletes have friends of theirs or people they know about that have been unfairly treated by the system, let me know."
Last year, Trump suggested to NFL owners that they "get that son of a bitch off the field right now" and fire players who don't stand for the playing of the National Anthem.
Recently, the NFL implemented a new policy that teams could choose to require athletes in their arenas to stand during the playing of the anthem. It also gave players the option of remaining off the field, in the locker rooms, during the playing of the anthem if they choose not to stand for it.
On Friday, Trump called his presidential power to pardon people a "beautiful thing," adding that "you got to get it right." The President also floated a pardon for posthumous boxing great Muhammad Ali, though the athlete's attorney said that is "unnecessary" because the Supreme Court overturned his previous conviction.
