Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has joined the league-wide backlash against comments President Donald Trump made during a speech in Huntsville, Alabama, Friday night encouraging NFL owners to release players who protest during the national anthem.
Lurie released the following statement through Twitter on Saturday night:
pic.twitter.com/oe2NupndXe— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 24, 2017
During his speech Friday, Trump sharply criticized players like Colin Kaepernick and Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins who have protested during the anthem.
"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He's fired. He's fired!' Trump said.
"You know, some owner is going to do that. He's going to say, ‘That guy that disrespects our flag, he's fired.' And that owner, they don't know it [but] they'll be the most popular person in this country."
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and executive director of the NFL Players Association DeMaurice Smith denounced Trump earlier Saturday, and they were joined by several players, including Eagles wide receiver Torrey Smith and former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy.
