NORTH MIAMI, FLA. (WSVN) - NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, accompanied by three Miami Dolphins players, visited a middle school in North Miami to lead a discussion on anti-bullying and community policing, Tuesday.
The event was organized by the North Miami Police.
Goodell, who spoke out against NFL players protesting during the national anthem, was joined by the Dolphins players, all of whom have either kneeled during or skipped the singing of the anthem.
Goodell sent a letter to NFL team owners, Tuesday, in which he wrote that the dispute over the national anthem is “threatening to erode the unifying power of our game.”
“Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the national anthem. It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us,” Goodell wrote.
President Trump tweeted, Wednesday morning, supporting Goodell’s demands for players to stand during the National Anthem.
It is about time that Roger Goodell of the NFL is finally demanding that all players STAND for our great National Anthem-RESPECT OUR COUNTRY
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 11, 2017
The White House responded to Goodell’s recommendation that players stand for the anthem.
“I think we would certainly support the NFL coming out and asking players to stand just as the president has done,” said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “We support the national anthem, the flag, the men and women who fought to defend it, and our position hasn’t changed on that front. We’re glad to see the NFL taking positive steps in that direction.”
Goodell also said in the memo that the league has been working on an in-season platform to promote the work of the players in an effort to create positive change for the country.
The movement to kneel during the national anthem was started in the 2016 season by former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick to protest police brutality aimed at the black community.
President Donald Trump expressed his disapproval of the movement during a rally in Alabama.
“Wouldn’t you love to see one these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of [expletive] of the field now. Out. He’s fired,'” he said.
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