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Ohio congressmen react to Trump’s statement about NFL anthem protesters

MIAMI VALLEY — Three Ohio congressmen have mixed reactions to President Donald Trump calling for NFL players who kneel during the national anthem to be fired. The President also said during a Friday night speech in Alabama that kneeling during the national anthem is disrespectful to the country and the military.

The players have opted to kneel during the national anthem as a way of bringing attention to police brutality and other injustices, they’ve said.

“It’s a disrespect to the flag, to our great country, the greatest nation ever,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana said. “I think the President is right when he criticizes what he sees from so many of these professional athletes.”

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Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, called for the President to focus on different issues in the country instead of “the rights of private citizens to peacefully protest.”

“I wish the President were focused on providing hurricane relief for millions of Americans from Texas to Puerto Rico, addressing threats coming from North Korea and protecting the healthcare for working families,” Brown said in a prepared statement.

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The congressmen’s comments come after Sunday’s NFL games were filled with players kneeling during the Star Spangled Banner and some teams remaining in the locker room while the national anthem was performed.

Congressman Warren Davidson echoed Jordan’s comments, saying he’s “really sad for the way this discourse has taken place.”

“It really is a distraction in the sense that no one’s really paying attention to what people are protesting with the kneeling in the first place,” Davidson said Monday.

On Friday night, during a rally in Huntsville, Alabama, Trump said: "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners when somebody disrespects our flag to say, ‘get that sonofabitch off the field right now, out, he's fired, he's fired.’"

Kneeling during the national anthem has become widespread and controversial since ex-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started it during the 2016 NFL season. He and others who have joined him since have said taking a knee during the national anthem is a way of bringing attention to police brutality and other social injustices against minorities in the country.

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