Most of the players on the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster probably were not disappointed at all that Donald Trump cancelled their team’s scheduled visit to the White House, but some of them are understandably upset over the way one media outlet is covering the story.
After Trump announced his decision on Monday night, FOX News ran some images that purported to show Eagles players protesting the national anthem. Tight end Zach Ertz, one of the players shown, ripped the network for using images of players praying as “propaganda.”
President @realDonaldTrump says Philadelphia @Eagles won't attend @WhiteHouse ceremony amid national anthem dispute https://t.co/QOOUCg68Gd pic.twitter.com/CRHsoE6ArX
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 5, 2018
This can’t be serious…. Praying before games with my teammates, well before the anthem, is being used for your propaganda?! Just sad, I feel like you guys should have to be better than this… https://t.co/kYeyH2zXdK
— Zach Ertz (@ZERTZ_86) June 5, 2018
Chris Long, who has always been outspoken about political issues, also unloaded on FOX.
Imagine wanting to please the boss so very badly that you run stills of guys knelt down PRAYING during pregame. Not one Eagles player knelt for the anthem this yr. Keep carrying his water to sow division while misrepresenting Christian men. Aren’t many of your viewers.. nevermind https://t.co/QdlOvL0btq
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) June 5, 2018
You’re complicit in PLAYING America. This is just another day at the office for you, though. Most players (and there were many players, many players…) that wanted to opt out had decided long b4 the anthem rule came down. It wasn’t discussed once in our meetings about the visit.
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) June 5, 2018
Some of those photos clearly were not taken during the national anthem, so you can understand why players are upset that they were used in that context. And given how few players were expected to attend the White House ceremony to begin with, it’s safe to assume the NFL’s new anthem policy would have had very little to do with the low attendance.
UPDATE: FOX News issued an apology for the way its coverage was presented.
