On CBS’ ‘Face the Nation’ on Sunday morning, President Donald Trump said that he “would have a hard time” with his son, Barron, playing football.
“If he wanted to? Yes,” Trump continued. “Would I steer him that way? No, I wouldn’t.”
Trump also said: “I’ve heard NFL players saying they wouldn’t let their sons play football. So. It’s not totally unique, but I would have a hard time with it.”
For NFL owners, the timing of Trump’s statement could not have been much worse. Hours before the Super Bowl is not when you want the President of the United States making a statement that he wouldn’t want his son to play your sport.
Trump’s statement is not surprising, it should be said. I will insert the standard caveat here that the effects of CTE on players’ brains is still being studied, but it sure doesn’t look like playing football is any good at all for the long-term health of your brain. As Trump pointed out, this isn’t that unique a statement. Parents can make choices for their children, and more and more of them would prefer they play another sport over football.
But for a group of NFL owners who have kowtowed to President Trump over the last year, holding back when he attacked the league over its handling of anti-police violence protests during the national anthem, the message could not have come at a worse time. And I’m certain they will feel aggrieved that he chose the morning of the Super Bowl to make this statement – especially after many NFL owners have made a concerted public effort to win back over the President recently.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft spoke out in support of Trump just two days ago, saying in an interview on Fox News on Friday that Trump is “working very hard to serve the best interests of the country.”
He also said he’d love to have Trump on the Patriots bandwagon. “We can use every fan who wants to support us from wherever they are in their standard of life”
Trump rewarded Kraft’s kind words by saying he wouldn’t want his son to play football.
NFL owners will be fine, of course. The Super Bowl will have incredible ratings. It’s still America’s most popular sport. The owners all have more money than any of us can probably comprehend.
But in a week that was supposed to be the biggest week of the year for the NFL, they had to watch as NBA trade news grabbed most of the sports headlines, and now a statement from President Trump the morning of the game saying he wouldn’t want his son to play football.
Those are two sore spots for this league – its growing inability to create marketable stars like the NBA, and concerns about its long term safety for athletes – and both were exposed the week before the Super Bowl. This is supposed to be the crown jewel of the season, but this week, it came with some attention the owners don’t want.
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