LeBron James joins NFL in hitting back at Trump: 'The people run this country
- League spokesman says protest gestures represent ‘real locker-room talk’
- James says country is not run by individual ‘and damn sure not him’
A day after players across the NFL defied Donald Trump with gestures of protest during the national anthem, and as the president continued to tweet his anger, a league spokesman hit back by invoking the 2005 Access Hollywood tape in which Trump bragged about sexual assault.
“Everyone should know, including the president, that this is what real locker-room talk is,” said the NFL’s Joe Lockhart, referring to Trump’s defense of a leaked tape in which he bragged about groping and kissing women without their consent.
The NBA great LeBron James also slammed Trump, telling reporters: “The people run this country, not one individual. And damn sure not him.”
On Sunday, about 200 players sat or kneeled in a show of defiance against Trump, while others locked arms or raised fists. A few teams stayed off the field as The Star-Spangled Banner played.
In a call with reporters, Lockhart, a former spokesman for Bill Clinton, said players were attempting to advance equality. “This is about going from protest to progress,” he said, noting that since the then San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the anthem, many players have become involved in serving communities and promoting criminal justice reform.
In one NFL locker room on Sunday, the Miami Dolphins safety Michael Thomas discussed Trump: “It just amazes me that with everything else that’s going on in this world, especially involving the US, that’s what you concerned about, my man? You’re the leader of the free world and this is what you’re talking about?
“As a man, as a father, as an African American man, someone in the NFL, one of those ‘sons of bitches’, you know, yeah, I take it personally. But at the same time it’s bigger than me, man.”
His voice wavering, Thomas said: “I’ve got a daughter, she’s going to have to live in this world. I’m going to do whatever I’ve got to do to make sure she can look at her dad and be like, ‘Hey, he tried to make a change.’”
Thomas’s use of “sons of bitches” referred to Trump’s remarks at a rally in Alabama on Friday: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now’.”
The president also attacked the NFL over rules regarding dangerous hits to the head, saying penalties were “ruining the game”. Lockhart said those remarks “represent someone who is out of touch”.
Trump ignited anger among owners who donated to his campaign, close friend Robert Kraft among them. Tom Brady, quarterback for Kraft’s Super Bowl-champion New England Patriots who has himself come under fire over his friendship with Trump, said the comments were “just divisive”.
Speaking on WEEI’s Kirk and Callahan radio show, Brady – who did not kneel but locked arms with team-mates before facing the Houston Texans – said: “I think everyone has a right to do whatever they want to do. If you don’t agree with it, that’s fine, you can voice your disagreement. I think that’s great. It’s part of our democracy, as long as it’s done in a peaceful, respectful way. That’s what this country has been all about.”
Trump was undeterred, tweeting: “The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race. It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!”
The president’s comments were nonetheless seen as directed at black players. Kaepernick, who is African American, began his protest to draw attention to fatal police shootings of unarmed black men. He is unemployed, in what critics say is a league-wide block based on his political views. At a press conference on Monday, James said: “I wish I owned an NFL team right now. I’d sign him today.”
James, who endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016, thrust himself into the debate on Saturday when Trump went after basketball star Stephen Curry, rescinding a White House invitation to the NBA-champion Golden State Warriors. That prompted criticism and rebuke from black athletes including James, who called the president a “bum”.
James went further on Monday. “He doesn’t understand how many kids, no matter the race, look up to the president of the United States for guidance, for leadership, for words of encouragement,” he said.
“That’s what makes me more sick than anything. It’s the most powerful position in the world, and we are at a time where the most powerful position in the world has an opportunity to bring us closer together as a people, and inspire the youth, and put the youth at ease saying that it is OK for me to walk down the street and not be judged because of the color of my skin or because of my race.
“And he has no recollection of that. He doesn’t even care. Maybe he does. But he doesn’t care.”
Lockhart stopped short of saying if Trump was racially motivated. “The president knows what’s in his heart,” he said. “The president has chosen his form of dialogue, which is Twitter and statements that I’m not sure a sensible review of the facts would support. If the president wants to engage … he knows our number.”
Trump did draw the support of several team owners in Nascar, who agreed with the suggestion protesters should be fired. “It’ll get you a ride on a Greyhound bus,” said one, Richard Childress. “Anybody that works for me should respect the country we live in. So many people gave their lives for it. This is America.”
Trump tweeted: “So proud of Nascar and its supporters and fans. They won’t put up with disrespecting our country or our flag – they said it loud and clear!”
The next arena for protests will be the Monday night NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals, in Phoenix. The high-profile NBA preseason starts on Saturday.
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