It really shouldn’t come as any surprise that U.S. President Donald Trump ranted against free speech during a rally this past weekend.
It wasn’t the first time, nor will it be the last time that Trump spews his hateful rhetoric to appeal to his extreme right-wing base.
He is the only president in recent history who seems to enjoy dividing Americans, rather than uniting them.
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His attack on NFL players who protest during the national anthem followed that pattern, but the reaction to his anti-free speech rant was interesting.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell issued a flaccid response, without naming Trump as the source of the inflammatory remarks, while some NFL team owners and numerous players expressed outrage at Trump’s attack on free speech.
But, as the NFL responded to Trump’s vitriol, they need to be reminded that there’s a heavy dose of hypocrisy in their outrage.
The first player who had the courage to take a stand and kneel during the national anthem to protest social injustice remains unemployed.
The NFL is quick to forgive the perpetrators of sexual assault and gun violence, but Colin Kaepernick has essentially been blackballed by the NFL because of his controversial protest.
So while NFL owners are outraged that Trump suggests that they fire protesting players, the uncomfortable truth is, they’ve already done that to Colin Kaepernick.
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