The NFL has been buzzing this week with news that the Las Vegas Raiders gave a tryout this week to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who hasn’t played in the league since 2016.
That news prompted an admission from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.
Smith revealed that former President Donald Trump called him in 2014 and revealed his plan to screw over the NFL if they did not allow him to buy the Buffalo Bills.
“Donald Trump called yours truly, that would be me,” Smith admitted on First Take. “And he said that he wanted to purchase the Buffalo Bills. And I’ll never forget what he said to me, he said, ‘if those owners screw me over’ and I’m just using the FCC allowable version…he said, ‘if they screw me over, I’m gonna show them, I’m gonna get them all back, I’m gonna run for president of the United States.’ That’s what he said to me back in 2014.”
As you remember, Trump blasted Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the Anthem and called out the NFL numerous times for not doing anything to him. In 2017, Trump told a group of his supporters during a campaign rally, “wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when someone disrespects our flag to say, ‘get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out. He’s fired. He’s fired.”
Trump added: “You know, some owner is gonna do that. He’s gonna say, ‘That guy disrespects our flag, he’s fired.’ And that owner, they don’t know it. They don’t know it. They’re friends of mine, many of them. They don’t know it. They’ll be the most popular person, for a week. They’ll be the most popular person in this country.
“But do you know what’s hurting the game more than that [referees]? When people like yourselves turn on the television and you see those players taking the knee when they’re playing our great national anthem. The only thing you could do better is if you see it, even if it’s one player, leave the stadium. I guarantee things will stop. Things will stop. Just pick up and leave. Pick up and leave. Not the same game anymore, anyway.”
