00:00President Donald Trump continues to hammer away at the topic of professional athletes
00:04who sit out the national anthem. In his latest tweets on Monday morning, the president says
00:09he supports those booing players who kneel.
00:12The anthem debate was the main headline for most major news outlets over the weekend.
00:16During a speech on Friday night, the president criticized NFL players who boycott the anthem,
00:21calling those who protest a son of a bitch. Trump's remarks were blasted by players.
00:26Numerous team owners also came out against the former reality TV host and said they supported
00:31their players' right to peacefully protest. And many football players did so during their
00:35games on Sunday.
00:36There were reports of some booing at stadiums, a reaction that Trump cheered. He tweeted on
00:41Monday,
00:49Trump added,
00:56NFL must respect this. Last season, free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick was the first
01:01to sit out the national anthem in protest of the treatment of African Americans in America,
01:05especially at the hands of police officers. Since then, numerous other players have protested
01:10in similar fashion in a number of different sports. While the president claims the issue
01:15has nothing to do with race, some sports commentators, such as Dan Patrick, asked where
01:19Trump's same anger and passion was when a woman protesting a white nationalist rally was killed in
01:24Charlottesville, Virginia. Sunday Night Football commentator Chris Collinsworth said on air that
01:29Trump owed players an apology. And Bob Costas said it was Kaepernick who did the patriotic act
01:34when he set out the anthem and sparked a new conversation about racial inequality. Both NFL
01:39commissioner Roger Goodell and the Players Union released statements condemning Trump's remarks.
01:43And even the player Trump brags about being pals with, Tom Brady, pushed back against the
01:48president's comments. He told a Boston radio station during his routine Monday morning interview,
01:52I thought it was just divisive. Like I said, I just want to support my teammates. I believe in
01:57bringing people together and respect and love and trust. Monday Night Football on ESPN will feature
02:03the national anthem, a portion of the pregame which is not always televised. In addition to the
02:08anthem being shown, the NFL's Inside These Lines Unity ad, which also aired during Sunday Night
02:13Football, will be shown during a commercial break. For the latest updates on this story, check out
02:18THR.com and let us know what you think in the comments. For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.
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