But the president’s remarks about players who were kneeling during the anthem had catalyzed a level of public hostility that the NFL had never experienced. NFL owners, players and league executives, about 30 in all, convened urgently at the league’s headquarters in New York City in October, nearly a month after U.S. President Donald Trump began deriding the league and its players over protests during the national anthem. The owners kept returning to one bottom-line issue: Large numbers of fans and sponsors had become angry about the protests. The meeting concluded with some participants saying how positive the session had been, and how they would all keep talking. NFL executives and owners joined NFLPA executives and player leaders to review and discuss plans to utilize our platform to promote equality and effectuate positive change.

Source: thestar April 26, 2018 01:52 UTC