Did NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell really think it through when he decided to support players who disrespect the country by refusing to stand during the national anthem?
President Donald Trump took to his social media platform early Tuesday to question why the NFL enjoys a tax-exempt status, calling for a change in the law.
“Why is the NFL getting massive tax breaks while at the same time disrespecting our Anthem, Flag and Country? Change tax law!,” Trump tweeted.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/917694644481413120
In addition to the “massive tax breaks,” the league has received subsidies that have exceeded $7 billion dollars over the past 20 years to build or renovate NFL stadiums, according to Fox News.
It was enough to prompt Fox Business Network host Stuart Varney to say cut the NFL off!
Cut them off! Stuart Varney reminds NFL of the BILLIONS in taxpayer subsidies that build stadiums https://t.co/6TvuTP8eKZ pic.twitter.com/A9dMdRS1XS
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) September 26, 2017
Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, sponsor of a bill that would remove the league’s tax-exempt status, was quick to respond to the president’s tweet.
The Florida lawmaker announced recently that he’s now the lead sponsor of the Pro Sports Act, which was introduced by former Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz, who resigned in June.
NFL players union fights against owners’ attempts to bench players who don’t stand
Thank you for supporting my legislation to end special interest NFL tax breaks Mr. President! https://t.co/kfZHdw3XUS
— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) October 10, 2017
“We must close this loophole in the tax code, and end taxpayer subsidies for professional athletics,” Gaetz said in the release, according to the Pensacola News Journal. “If players want to protest, they have that right — but they should do it on their own time, and on their own dime.”
In a separate tweet, Trump criticized Jemele Hill, a sports anchor for the left-leaning ESPN network, who was suspended on Monday for a tweet that suggested consumers boycott Dallas Cowboys sponsors, after owner Jerry Jones said Sunday he would not tolerate players who refuse to stand for the national anthem.
Earlier this year, Hill took to Twitter to call Trump a “white supremacist.”
“With Jemele Hill at the mike, it is no wonder ESPN ratings have ‘tanked,’ in fact, tanked so badly it is the talk of the industry!” the president tweeted.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/917701841466593280
Rep. Gaetz appeared on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” to discuss the Pro Sports Act:
There’s no proof whatsoever, but listen to what Gayle King says about Obamas and Weinstein sex abuse
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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