Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin had some strong words for President Trump in response to his comments regarding athletes who don’t stand for the national anthem.
On Wednesday, the NFL issued a policy mandating all players and league personnel stand for the national anthem or remain in the locker room until the conclusion of the song.
President Trump reacted to the league’s policy during an appearance on “Fox and Friends” Thursday morning.
“You have to stand proudly for the national anthem,” Trump said. “You shouldn’t be playing, you shouldn’t be there. Maybe you shouldn’t be in the country. You have to stand proudly for the national anthem, and the NFL owners did the right thing.”
Baldwin took issue with the president’s comments during his press conference following the Seahawks’ open OTA Thursday afternoon.
“He’s an idiot, plain and simple,” Baldwin said. “I mean, listen, I respect the man because he’s a human being first and foremost. But he’s just being more divisive, which is not surprising. It is what it is. But for him to say that anybody who doesn’t follow his viewpoints or his constituents’ viewpoints should be kicked out of the country. It’s not very empathetic, it’s not very American-like, actually to me.”
“It’s not very patriotic, it’s not what this country was founded upon,” Baldwin continued. “It’s kind of ironic to me that president of the United States is contradicting what our country is really built on.”
When asked whether or not he would remain in the locker room going forward or take to the field to protest during the anthem, Baldwin was short.
“Still yet to be seen.”
