The NFL says the message players and teams are trying to express is being lost in a political firestorm. The issues have been "overtaken by political forces," NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said Thursday, referring to President Trump's criticism of the league, team owners and players for kneeling during the national anthem. "One of the impacts is to distort the views of the NFL and particularly our players," Lockhart said. Trump said NFL owners fear their players, and he renewed calls for action against those who kneel during the anthem. "The NFL players are men of character, many of whom are leaders in their community.

Source: CBC News September 28, 2017 17:48 UTC