Photo credit: U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Brigitte N. Brantley
For weeks now, America’s Sports-Bozo-in-Chief has tried to stir up some kind of rebellion among football fans to get the National Football League to stop protests during the national anthem led by African American players against continuing racial inequality in their country. Donald Trump’s failure became evident when his attacks on black players only increased solidarity among all players, black and white. As more players chose to kneel in protest during the anthem, teammates, whether standing or kneeling, locked arms.
Some NFL owners—members of Trump’s own social class with a lot more class—joined their players. Then, owners met and refused to change NFL rules to order grown men not to participate in constitutionally protected protests in a democracy. The Green Bay Packers were fortunate to have an articulate star like quarterback Aaron Rodgers who sincerely tried to explain to fans that football players weren’t disrespecting the flag or their nation’s military.
“We’re all patriotic in the locker room,” Rodgers said. “We love our troops. This is about something bigger than that ... This is about unity and love and growing together as a society and starting a conversation around something [racial equality] that may be a little bit uncomfortable for people.”
Rodgers wondered aloud which was more disrespectful to America: players silently locking arms as they faced the flag, or disruptive fans, egged on by Trump, booing and shouting ugly epithets during the anthem? Then, just like that, Rodgers was gone.
Brutal Reality
No, the Packers didn’t follow Trump’s advice—which he’d bellowed at a raucous rally in Alabama: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, say: ‘Get that son-of-a-bitch off the field right now! Out! He’s fired!!’” But, the sickening injury that broke Rodgers’ collarbone and shattered the Super Bowl hopes of heart-broken fans also can be tied to Trump; he got what he always hopes to see when he watches football: a brutal hit that really hurt somebody.
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Trump has been talking about wanting to see more brutality in football for a lot longer than he’s talked about players disrespecting the flag. He’s accused the NFL of “ruining the game” by adopting rules to protect players from serious injury. “Fifteen yards! Throw him out of the game!” Trump shouted at that Alabama rally, mocking referees for penalizing illegal hits. “They had that last week. I watched for a couple of minutes. Two guys, just really beautiful tackle! Boom! Fifteen yards! The referee gets on television! His wife is sitting at home, she’s so proud of him! They’re ruining the game! Right? Hey look, that’s what they [professional football players] want to do! They want to hit! But it [enforcing rules] is hurting the game!”
Trump is particularly outraged at the NFL for removing players after concussions to provide time for full recovery to protect them from serious brain injury. He brought that up out of nowhere last year at a Florida rally when a woman passed out from the heat. “That woman was out cold, and now she’s coming back,” Trump bragged. “See, we don’t go by these new and very much softer NFL rules. Concussions! ‘Uh oh, got a little ding on the head.’ ‘No, no, you can’t play for the rest of the season.’ Our people are tough.”
Maybe your friends are the kind of sports bozos who relish seeing violent, head-snapping hits like the frightening one on Packer wide-receiver Davante Adams that got Chicago Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan suspended for two games by the NFL, but mine aren’t; my friends cringe and get a sick feeling in their stomachs. Trump’s mocking “a little ding on the head” was unusually cruel and ignorant even for a public figure well known for those qualities. The NFL doesn’t need anyone in power encouraging them to ignore the devastating effects of head trauma in football. The league spent years denying and hiding evidence of the terrible consequences.
Medical science has now documented a direct link to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)—a degenerative brain disease with symptoms including confusion, memory loss, violent behavior, aggression, depression, paranoia, suicidal impulses and eventually progressive dementia. A damning scientific study was released in July by researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine who examined 202 brains belonging to men who played football at all levels donated for research after their deaths. Researchers found CTE in 177 of them—more than 87%. The most extensive damage was among those who played in the NFL. All but one of 111 brains belonging to ex-NFL players were diagnosed with CTE.
We’re reminded every day how much character matters in the presidency. So does the complete lack of character in a Bozo-in-Chief who not only wants to deny players their Constitutional rights, but also wants to see more dirty, violent plays that threaten their livelihoods—and their lives.
