Donald Trump just can’t keep his opinions to himself. Trump says that the Oakland Raiders should suspend running back Marshawn Lynch for the rest of the season for disrespecting the flag after he did not stand for the anthem.
Marshawn Lynch of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders stands for the Mexican Anthem and sits down to boos for our National Anthem. Great disrespect! Next time NFL should suspend him for remainder of season. Attendance and ratings way down.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 20, 2017
Before Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots in Mexico City, Lynch sat during the playing of the “Star Spangled Banner,” as he has done all season. Lynch did stand when the Mexican national anthem was played.
Marshawn Lynch sits during the US national anthem, stands for Mexican anyhem pic.twitter.com/8wdaKprEki
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) November 19, 2017
Trump has continually railed against the NFL, which, as the president noted, has experienced declining ratings.
After spending a fair bit of time critiquing Colin Kaepernick, who launched the national anthem protests while playing for the San Francisco 49ers, Trump has chosen to go after a popular figure in Lynch, who has done extensive charity work focused on helping children in his hometown of Oakland.
Lynch’s reasoning behind sitting for the anthem is not publicly known. His opinion on Trump, however, was made clear last month when he wore an “Everybody vs. Trump” shirt before a game against the Denver Broncos.