Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) on Tuesday called for a total end of federal government support for the NFL as players continued to disrespectfully kneel in protests during the national anthem.
“That would include the termination of any and all advertising that is done on behalf of the federal government—military and nonmilitary—to the extent we do any,” Brooks said.
Brooks is the U.S. representative for Alabama’s 5th district and a member of the House Freedom Caucus.
“The same thing with any other professional sport that insults our country and our flag and our anthem as the NFL has done,” he told Breitbart News.
The Jets got paid a total of $337,000 between 2011 and 2014.
The money increases to $5.4 million when calculating the overall amount the Defense Department paid to 14 NFL teams during that time. Out of that amount, $5.3 million was paid by the National Guard to 11 teams under similar contracts, according to NJ.com.
Brooks reaffirmed his comments on Twitter and drafted a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to honor the American flag and anthem “by stopping all Department of Defense and federal government support” for all professional sports teams that “display disrespect” for our flag and national anthem.
He circulated the letter to House colleagues for support and said in a press release, “The NFL’s conduct is not only unpatriotic and deplorable, it also conflicts with federal law.”
“The foregoing considered, we respectfully ask that you withhold all federal taxpayer dollars that directly or indirectly support (via advertisements, marketing contracts, or any other direct, or indirect financial patronage) any professional sports team or league that refuses to display proper decorum for America’s flag or national anthem” the statement said.
Trump also weighed in on Twitter, criticizing the players for not respecting the flag.
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