Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Wednesday that the National Football League should require players to stand during the national anthem.
“I think they should stand. I think it should be a formal rule of the league. They’ll have to make that decision. They should be able to say to the players, ‘if you are on our field in our game, paid by us, you should respect the flag and the national anthem,'” Sessions told Fox News Wednesday morning.
President Trump and senior administration officials have criticized the NFL for allowing players to kneel during the anthem, in protest of racism in America.
A recent Reuters poll found 58 percent of U.S. adults believe “professional athletes should be required to stand during the national anthem at sporting events.”
“The president is exactly right to say no matter what you think of Hillary Clinton or President Trump, you should stand when the national anthem is played,” Sessions added. “So he is correct to speak out against that. I believe the players should stand. They can make their protests any other place. If the owners allow them, they can speak out I guess on the field.”
