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OPINON: President Trump canceling Eagles' White House visit shows NFL failed on anthem policy

Trump's political punt underscored just why it was such a bad idea for NFL owners to pass that new, murky anthem policy.
A general view of the NFL shield logo on the field before Super Bowl LII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium. (Photo: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)

Look at the bright side, Philadelphia Eagles: Your team won’t be positioned in the Rose Garden as a political prop after all.

President Trump's decision to rescind the White House's invitation wipes out what loomed to be the most awkward championship event ever. Multiple reports indicated fewer than 10 Eagles players were expected to be on hand for the ceremony, leaving a majority of those making the trip to Washington, D.C., likely opting to spend Tuesday performing community service.

Now the Eagles can join the company of the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors as title winners with better things to do than share the stage with Trump. And that list will undoubtedly grow – albeit perhaps not with the NHL's Washington Capitals or Vegas Golden Knights -- with many future champions likely boasting a significant number of African-American players.

Sure, it’s a shame, as former Eagles receiver Torrey Smith expressed on Twitter in summarizing the flip as a “cowardly act” by Trump. Players who embraced the idea of being honored at the White House suddenly won’t get that opportunity. They’ll have to settle for having a place in history, at the intersection of sports, politics, polarization and activism.

Too bad there’s no such silver lining for the NFL.

Trump’s political punt underscored just why it was such a bad idea for NFL owners to pass that new, murky national anthem policy, as if it would squash the criticism coming from the President. Players now will be allowed to remain in the locker room for the anthem, but those who are on the sideline are required to stand and show respect, lest their teams be subjected to a fine.

Here’s to hoping they know better now.

Trump — who has called for players to be fired for protests and suggested that those who continue to do so "maybe ... shouldn’t live in the country" — apparently never had any intention of pulling his punches on the NFL over the anthem issue, whether they changed the policy or not.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Trump admitted as much in a deposition by telling him the issue "lifts him" and the league "can't win" on that front. Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, per that same report, said he was "totally supportive" of players' protests until Trump "changed the dialogue."

NFL owners look silly about now – OK, sillier than two weeks ago – in weighing the criticism from Trump as one of the significant factors for changing the anthem policy. Kowtowing to him was hardly the ticket to reducing the attention on the matter ... or to solidifying its fan base.

No, that plan is backfiring, with more fuel now heaped on the issue.

Trump made that perfectly clear late Monday when he took another shot at the NFL and its new anthem policy on Twitter. Scolded Trump: “Staying in the Locker Room for the playing of our National Anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling. Sorry!”

The Philadelphia Eagles Football Team was invited to the White House. Unfortunately, only a small number of players decided to come, and we canceled the event. Staying in the Locker Room for the playing of our National Anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling. Sorry!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2018

This came hours after the White House released a statement that yet again served up the narrative that the player protests have been about the about the American flag or some imagined disrespect to the U.S. military. And, naturally, it doesn’t acknowledge the soul of the issue with the protests.

No, the peaceful protests – including kneeling, as ex-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began at the suggestion of former Green Beret Nate Boyer – are First Amendment expressions targeting police brutality and social justice inequities that disproportionately affect African-Americans and other people of color.

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