Herschel Walker has openly supported Donald Trump since Trump first announced he was running for president, and the former NFL star is not jumping ship in the wake of some of the recent controversial remarks the president has made.
In an interview with TMZ this week, Walker said he agrees with Trump that the NFL should make a rule forcing players to stand during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
“I think the commissioner now needs to take control of this and say, ‘Guys, this is what we’re gonna do from now on,'” Walker said. “I think that means making a league-wide rule that if you want to protest, protest off the job. … The commissioner has to step in and say, ‘Guys, we have advertisers, we have sponsors, we have a lot of people that (say) this is a job.'”
Walker, who owns a food supply company, said if he worried about protesting he would not be able to sell anything. He views the NFL the same way. Walker also wonders why some of the same players who have taken a knee during the national anthem weren’t protesting publicly before the season began.
“What I would say (if I was the NFL commissioner) is everyone needs to stand, everyone needs to be respectful,” he said. ‘Then what I’d do is say, ‘Guys, during the offseason, if you want to go walk the picket line in front of Congress, I’ll be right there with you.’
“Where was everyone before the season started? I didn’t see anyone protesting in front of The White House, protesting in front of Congress or protesting in front of police officers. Why did we wait until football season started to start this again? If you’re behind it, you’ve got to be behind it all the way.”
Walker began his professional football career with the USFL’s New Jersey Generals. He played for the team from 1983-1985 before signing with the Dallas Cowboys, and Trump was one of the owners of the Generals. Walker expressed full confidence in Trump’s ability to run the country a while back and supported his plan to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. His opinion remains largely unchanged.
“If there’s anyone to defend the American anthem and the flag, it better be the President of the United States,” Walker added. “Otherwise, guys, we’re lost. The way he says things, sometimes I disagree with it. But he’s still my leader.”
National anthem protests have become more widespread across the NFL as a direct response to Trump saying team owners should fire any “son of a b—” who kneels. Trump continued to fuel the fire with some controversial remarks about NFL owners earlier this week. Walker, who played 12 seasons in the NFL and made two Pro Bowls, is apparently not bothered by any of that.
