Detroit Lions’ Owner Martha Ford Responds to President Trump’s Comments Regarding Kneeling During the National Anthem
Friday night at a rally in Alabama, President Donald Trump made comments condemning NFL players for kneeling during the National Anthem.
Trump commented that NFL team owners should fire players who refuse to stand during the National Anthem. Trump said that NFL owners respond to kneeling players by saying,
Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, he's fired. He's fired!
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell released a statement Saturday morning, calling President Trump's comments "divisive" and saying that the comments showed "an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game, and all of our players."
Sunday morning, Martha Ford, owner of the Detroit Lions, released a statement of her own, saying:
Our game has long provided a powerful platform for dialogue and positive change in many communities throughout our nation.
Thanks primarily to our players, the NFL also has been a unifying force in our country and impactful change has and hopefully will continue to be the result of peaceful expression, done so in order to highlight social injustices of all kind.
Negative and disrespectful comments suggesting otherwise are contrary to the founding principles of our country, and we do not support those comments or opinions.