Marshawn Lynch sports 'Everybody vs. Trump' T-shirt
Marshawn Lynch was one of the first players in the 2017 season to sit during the national anthem. While other players noted that the protests were to highlight racial injustice and police brutality, Lynch never indicated why he was sitting.
Sunday afternoon, in the wake of a second round of NFL protests, the Oakland Raiders RB made his perspective clear, arriving at Sports Authority Field in Denver wearing a shirt that read, “EVERYBODY VS TRUMP.”
The reference, of course, is to the ongoing protests in the NFL which began as demonstrations during the national anthem but have expanded to a direct repudiation of President Donald Trump himself. Trump has repeatedly criticized both the NFL and its players over the past 10 days, firing off dozens of tweets such as this one from Saturday night:
Very important that NFL players STAND tomorrow, and always, for the playing of our National Anthem. Respect our Flag and our Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
An ESPN report published early Sunday morning noted that the owners spent much of the week trying to figure a way out of this quagmire, and that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has worked to build unity in the NFL, both along the sidelines and between players and owners.
But it’s clear that many players aren’t quite ready to make nice, moving on and focusing primarily on football. Nor, for that matter, is Trump, who’s continued to hammer away at the NFL all week. As much as owners and fans would like to see the focus return to football, that’s not happening just yet.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION, on sale now at Amazon or wherever books are sold. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.
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