Goodell: 'I'm proud of our league'
The President of the United States critiqued the NFL several times over the past 48 hours, and the league responded emphatically Sunday.
After Donald Trump suggested owners should "get that son of a b---- off the field" if a player protested during the national anthem, players, coaches, and owners responded by either standing united in arms on the sidelines during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" or by kneeling, sitting, or remaining in the locker room during the anthem.
The league-wide response, both symbolic and via statements from team owners and CEOs, drew praise from Roger Goodell.
"The way we reacted today, and this weekend, made me proud," the NFL commissioner told Peter King of The MMQB. "I'm proud of our league."
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The protests during the national anthem started with Colin Kaepernick, who sat and then kneeled as an objection to racial injustice in the country. Protests continued into this season, led by the likes of Michael Bennett and Marshawn Lynch, but on Sunday, the demonstrations grew to their largest form to date.
"They reflected the frustration, the disappointment, of the players over the divisive rhetoric we heard," Goodell said.
The commissioner finished by stating that he took no issue with the president publicly targeting his league.
"A public discourse makes us strong," he said.