NFL owner: I supported players kneeling until Trump came out against it

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross revealed that he was supportive of NFL players taking the knee in an effort to protest social justice until President Trump came out against it. 

“I was totally supportive of [the players] until Trump made his statement,” Ross said in a deposition, according to The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

“I thought he changed the dialogue,” he continued.

{mosads}Ross’s remarks follow the NFL’s decision last week to ban kneeling during performances of the national anthem at games. 

Players and personnel on the field at games will be required under the new policy to stand for the national anthem, but players will be allowed to remain in their locker rooms and other locations off-field during the anthem if they choose.

Teams will be fined if players do not follow the policy. 

Owners had spent months deliberating how to handle the on-field demonstrations after Trump said last year that players who kneel during the anthem should be punished. 

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now,’ ” Trump said at a campaign rally in Alabama last fall. 

The president first slammed the protests during the 2016 campaign, calling out former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in particular. 

Kaepernick was the first NFL player who took a knee during the anthem to protest social injustice. Ross’s deposition came in response to a grievance filed against the NFL by Kaepernick, who claims the controversy has kept him from being signed to a team.