Jesse Williams spoke out against President Donald Trump’s remarks regarding National Football League players who choose to kneel in protest during the singing of the national anthem. After a weekend of widespread backlash from NFL players aimed at Trump, Williams sat down with MSNBC and questioned why the anthem is even included in games. Millions of dollars went to renting recruitment kiosks and staging patriotic and “heartwarming” tributes at games. As for the NFL specifically, players were not required to be on the field during the anthem until 2009, per a Vice report. “As you know, the NFL has a long tradition of patriotism,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said back in August, confirming that the practice of players being on the field began eight years ago.

Source: Huffington Post September 25, 2017 14:14 UTC