President Donald Trump on Friday defended the NFL’s plans to return in the fall to play football despite the coronavirus pandemic.
“Tony Fauci has nothing to do with NFL Football. They are planning a very safe and controlled opening,” Trump wrote on social media.
The president commented after Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, suggested it would not be safe for the NFL to play football in the fall.
“Unless players are essentially in a bubble – insulated from the community and they are tested nearly every day – it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall,” Fauci said in an interview on CNN. “If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year.”
Trump defended the NFL’s right to play in the fall but warned players not to kneel during the National Anthem.
“However, if they don’t stand for our National Anthem and our Great American Flag, I won’t be watching!!!” he wrote.
Tony Fauci has nothing to do with NFL Football. They are planning a very safe and controlled opening. However, if they don’t stand for our National Anthem and our Great American Flag, I won’t be watching!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2020
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