President Donald Trump’s campaign store is reportedly selling football jerseys with the phrase “Stand Up for America,” according to Business Insider , an obvious statement against NFL players who take a knee during the national anthem in silent protest.
The website stated Tuesday that the jersey, with the No. 45, connecting with Trump as the 45th president, is selling for $99. The American flag is embroidered on the sleeve of the jersey. The word “Trump” is stitched on the back of the football uniform.
Different football jerseys are being made for men and women on the campaign website as well. The Trump campaign website said that the jerseys are “proudly” made in the United States.
“Due to high demand, please allow four-five weeks to receive your jersey,” the message on the men’s football jersey site stated.
Business Insider said that the Trump football jerseys were rolled out the week that Nike started its 25th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign featuring numerous athletes, including former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, this fall.
Kaepernick started to take a knee during the national anthem at his NFL games in 2016 to protest what he believed to be police brutality across the country. Other players in the league joined Kaepernick in the protest as the season went on.
After the season, Kaepernick went unsigned as a free agent and has not played in the NFL since. Trump brought politics into the controversy when he suggested in 2017 that league owners should fire any player that took a knee during the national anthem.
“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b—- off the field right now,” Trump said during a rally in Alabama last year about players who took a knee in protest, according to USA Today . “He’s fired. He’s fired!”
He has tweeted about protesting players several other times, suggesting that they were the cause for NFL television ratings being down and called on fans to walk out of games when players protested.
Not even New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, a personal friend of Trump, has been able to persuade the president to stop commenting on the players after issuing his own Twitter post by Trump’s comments.
Statement from #Patriots Chairman & CEO Robert Kraft: pic.twitter.com/f5DJeK0Woj
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 24, 2017
Business Insider wrote that despite initial protest against Nike for making Kaepernick part of its anniversary campaign, the former quarterback has seen a surge in sales of his old football jersey. The website said his uniform was the most purchased of any NFL player in 2016 and 2017.
