>>> BEFORE WATCHING A FOOTBALL GAME, YOU WANT TO SEE THOSE
PLAYERS BE PROUD OF THEIR COUNTRY, RESPECT OUR COUNTRY,
RESPECT OUR FLAG AND RESPECT OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM, AND WE THINK
THEY WILL. WE CERTAINLY HOPE THEY WILL.
>> DONALD TRUMP ADDING MORE FUEL TO THE NATIONAL ANTHEM DEBATE,
THIS TIME IN HIS WEEKLY ADDRESS. JUST FIVE DAYS AFTER VICE
PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE STAGED A PRE-PLANNED WALKOUT DURING A
COLTS/49ers GAME WHEN THE PLAYERS YOU SEE HERE TOOK A
KNEE, A STUNT THAT COST YOU, THE TAXPAYER, APPROXIMATELY $240,000
ACCORDING TO AN ESTIMATE BY SLATE.
DESPITE THAT, THEY'RE WILLING TO SPEND THAT MONEY TO MAKE THEIR
POINT WITH THEIR ANTICS AND ATTEMPTS BY THE RIGHT TO MAKE
PROTESTS ABOUT PATRIOTISM, THE PLAYERS WHO WERE TAKING A KNEE
SEEM TO BE GETTING THEIR MESSAGE ACROSS.
57% OF AMERICANS BELIEVE THE FACT THAT THE NFL PLAYERS ARE
PROTESTING UP FROM 48% WHO UNDERSTOOD THAT LAST MONTH.
JOINING ME IS DAVE ZIRON, CHRIS COOLLY AND A FORMER LINEBACKER
AND CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY. DAVE, IT'S BEEN TOO LONG.
ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THE SPECTACLE, THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES LECTURING AMERICANS, THERE'S ALSO THIS
THREAT THAT HE SEEMS TO BE IMPLYING.
YOU KNOW, I CAN RECOMMEND YOUR TAX EXEMPTIONS GET TAKEN AWAY,
NFL. YOU WILL ORDER THESE PLAYERS TO
STAND. >> RIGHT.
>> DO YOU SEE IN YOUR JOURNALISM LOOKING A THE THIS, DO YOU SEE
THE NFL PASSING A LAW, A RULE, PUTTING IT IN THE RULE BOOKS
THAT THE PLAYERS MUST STAND FOR THE ANTHEM SPECIFICALLY TO
APIECE DONALD TRUMP. >> THEY RELEASED A JOINT
STATEMENT BY ROGER GOODELL AND THE PLAYERS ASSOCIATION, THEY
WILL NOT DO THAT. THEY'LL SIT DOWN WITH THE NFL PA
AND THE LEADING ACTIVISTS AND THE MOST OUTSPOKEN PEOPLE WHO
HAVE BEEN DOING THIS TO RAISE AWARENESS AND FIGURE OUT A WAY
THAT I THINK IT'S TRYING TO LET PLAYERS DO THAT.
HE WANTS TO LET THEM BE ROBBED OF THEIR DIGNITY.
THERE WERE NO PLAYERS TAKING A KNEE AND THEN JERRY JONES
DECIDES TO TREAT HIS TEAM LIKE A PLANTATION, THAT'S MICHAEL
WILLBON'S WORDS, AN THEN THE RESPONSE BY THE PLAYERS.
NOW IT'S NOT ABOUT RACIAL INEQUALITY.
IT'S AM I A HUMAN BEING OR NOT. DONALD TRUMP, I THINK HE'S DONE
IT SEVERAL TIMES IN THIS ANTHEM ARGUMENT, HAS OVERPLAYED HIS
HAND BECAUSE WHEN HE PUT OUT A STATEMENT SAYING THAT ROGER
GOODELL, LIKE GOOD JOB, ROGER GOODELL, CHANGING THE RULES TO
REQUIRE PLAYERS TO STAND FOR THE ANTHEM, THAT HASN'T HAPPENED
YET. THAT TRIGGERED THE JOINT
STATEMENT BY THE NFL AND THE NFL PA.
I THINK THERE ARE SOME OWNERS LIKE JERRY JONES LOOKING AT THIS
FROM A PERSPECTIVE OF I WANT TO BREAK THE PLAYERS.
FOR OTHERS, THEY'RE LOOKING AT THIS TO PLAY OUT.
>> THE NFL WOULDN'T BE MUCH WITHOUT ALL OF THESE STARS.
75% OR MORE ARE BLACK. COLLIN THERE IS, I BELIEVE, A
SUPREME COURT RULING THAT STATES THAT SCHOOLS CAN'T FORCE
STUDENTS TO STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, RIGHT?
THAT THAT ACTUALLY VIOLATES OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS.
IF THEY WANTED TO PASS A RULE MAKING, THEY COULD.
THEY CHANGED THE RULES IN 2009 TO MAKE THEM BE OUT ON THE FIELD
ON DISPLAY. WE'RE NOT NORTH KOREA.
THE GOVERNMENT CAN'T ORDER YOU TO STAND THROUGH THE NATIONAL
ANTHEM AT ALL. AT WHAT POINT GIVEN THE SCOPE OF
THE NFL CONTRACT ARE PLAYERS' FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS BEING
VIOLATED WHEN THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IS ESSENTIALLY
DO A PUBLIC DISPLAY OF PATRIOTISM IN A COUNTRY THAT
DOESN'T REQUIRE THAT. >> I THINK THE RIGHTS ARE BEING
VIOLATED. I THINK IN THIS COUNTRY, AS YOU
SAID, WE DON'T REQUIRE CERTAIN DISPLAYS OF PATRIOTISM.
WE WANT TO INSPIRE THAT IN EACH OTHER.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY FEEL SO STRONGLY
ABOUT THE COUNTRY THAT THEY WANT TO STAND UP AND PUT THEIR HANDS
OVER THEIR HEART. I THINK THE PLAYERS ARE DOING A
TREMENDOUS SERVICE BY RAISING SOME OF THE ISSUES.
WE AS AMERICANS SHOULD AGREE ABOUT THEIR RIGHT