Trump Suggests NFL Boycott In Sunday Tweet, Then Dozens Of Players Kneel At Ravens-Jaguars Game

Fox & Friends Weekend reported on their Sunday morning show that a new J.D. Power poll shows a decline in TV sets around the nation tuning into NFL games, but it also led to a list of reasons why people have tuned out the NFL. The latest J.D. Power poll shows that the decline in NFL TV ratings is happening for a variety of reasons, but the kneeling during the national anthem appears to be out in front.

According to CBS Boston, the new J.D. Power poll has revealed that the national anthem protests, which is led by the players, were indeed a factor in the dip of NFL TV viewers. The trend was started by Colin Kaepernick, who is no longer with an NFL team. CBS suggests the player's behavior during the national anthem may be "a bigger factor than many may have previously believed. In fact, they may have been the biggest."

The J.D. Power poll "surveyed 9,200 people who attended at least one football, basketball, or hockey game in 2016 and asked whether they had watched less than last year. Of those that watched fewer games, 26 percent cited the national anthem protests as the reason they watched less, while 24 percent cited either the NFL's off-field problems with domestic violence or its issues with the pace of TV broadcasts," reports CBS Boston.

The Washington Post suggests that "it's starting to look like Colin Kaepernick won't play in the NFL again." It is not a question of Kaepernick not wanting to play, it is a question of the "NFL's ownership's willingness" to take him back, and so far, it looks like they are unwilling. With starter Andy Dalton falling off a cliff, rumors circulated that the Cincinnati players were advocating for Kaepernick to join the team, but that didn't happen.

The Washington Post reports "since the San Francisco 49ers told him [Kaepernick] they would cut him and he opted out of his contract, teams have rejected him." Owners of the teams don't want the distraction they believe Kaepernick would bring along with him. They are also concerned that their fans won't accept the first player to go against the tradition by kneeling as they played the national anthem, reports the Post.

With Trump calling for the NFL teams to "fire or suspend" players who don't honor the national anthem, many are asking it is even something that can legally be done.

"Yes," according to Gregg Jarrett, who is an attorney on the Fox anchor team, adding that the NFL could fire the players who are doing things that are considered detrimental to the team.

It is not about race, even though some have claimed that it is. It is more about conduct and expression. A discrimination lawsuit could follow. "Conduct detrimental to the teams in the NFL" such as image, losing money

Kneeling during the national anthem is putting a negative light on the team, which could cause the team to lose fans which could eventually lead to loss of revenue. The players' behavior is about "conduct and expression," according to Jarrett.

With the NFL already down in numbers with their viewers, will Trump's suggestion regarding tuning out of the NFL cause a bigger dip in viewers for the NFL? Some folks have reported their plans to tune into the NFL to watch their teams, but if just one person kneels, people are ready to switch the channel, reports Fox & Friends Weekend.

[Featured Image by Evan Vucci/AP Images]