During President Trump’s first term, tensions between him and the NFL were notably high. He often played down the seriousness of concussions in football, just as the league was making strides to address head injuries. Trump even suggested that football’s popularity was waning because it wasn’t as violent as it used to be. The most heated moment came in 2017 when he urged NFL team owners to fire players who were kneeling during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice and police brutality.
This resulted in a strong backlash against Trump from the league, with more players joining the protests and even some of Trump’s allies among team owners criticizing his stance. After the Philadelphia Eagles secured a Super Bowl victory that season, Trump canceled the customary White House celebration when most of the players indicated they would not attend.
At the time, Trump made a statement, “They disagree with their president because he insists that they proudly stand for the national anthem, hand on heart, in honor of the great men
