美国总统川普星期一表示，美国职业橄榄球员奏国歌时拒绝起立“跟种族无关”。此前，很多球员表示，他们这样做是为了抗议美国的种族歧视和警察对少数族裔的暴力执法。
在星期天14场橄榄球赛开赛前，数以百计的球员、教练和球队老板无视川普的批评，在国歌星条旗永不落奏响时，不是按传统习惯笔直站立，把手放在胸口，以示对国旗和国家的支持，而是要么坐着，要么单膝跪地，相互挽着胳膊。
这些奏国歌时拒绝站立以示抗议的球员大多是黑人。川普近日来要求美国全国橄榄球联盟 (NFL)的球队老板炒这些球员的鱿鱼，并建议球迷们抵制球赛。
川普在推特上发表评论说：“奏国歌时单膝跪地跟种族无关，而是关乎对我们的国家，对我们的国旗，对我们的国歌的尊重。NFL必须予以尊重。”
川普补充说：“昨天单膝跪地的只是少数人，很多人向他们喝倒彩，这些球迷要的是对国旗的尊重。”
然而，很多NFL球队老板都发表声明支持球员的抗议，不理会川普要炒他们鱿鱼的呼吁，其中至少有两个球队的老板曾各自向川普一月份的总统就职典礼捐赠了100万美元。有些球队老板还亲自下场，跟抗议球员手臂挽着手臂。
白宫女发言人桑德斯说，川普总统相信“支持国家骄傲非常重要。我知道，捍卫国旗，捍卫国歌，当然还有支持我们的军人，对于总统来说都是重中之重。”
U.S. President Donald Trump contended Monday that professional football players’ refusal to stand for the country’s national anthem has “nothing to do with race,” even though many of the athletes themselves said it was meant to protest racism and police brutality against minorities in the United States.
Hundreds of players, coaches and team owners defied Trump on Sunday by sitting, kneeling and locking arms as the “Star Spangled Banner” was played before the start of 14 games, rather than displaying the traditional hand-over-heart support for the flag and country.
In recent days, Trump had called on National Football League owners to fire the players, most of them black, who refused to stand for the playing of the national anthem, a tradition at many professional athletic events in the U.S., and suggested fans boycott the widely popular NFL games, a fixture of fall Sundays in the country.
“The issue of kneeling has nothing to do with race,” Trump said in a Twitter comment. “It is about respect for our Country, Flag and National Anthem. NFL must respect this!”
The U.S. leader added, “Many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which was a small percentage of total). These are fans who demand respect for our Flag!”
Numerous NFL team owners, at least two of whom had contributed $1 million apiece to Trump’s inaugural celebration in January, issued statements in support of the players’ protest, not Trump’s call to fire them, and some linked arms with their players on the field while the anthem was played.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump believes it is important to “support national pride in our country…. I know it’s a priority for the president to always defend our flag, always defend the national anthem and certainly to support the men and women in uniform.”