President Trump prioritized a key issue for the NFL in trade negotiations with Canada last year after a call from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.
The Times also reports that Trump’s efforts for the NFL, which were later praised by Commissioner Roger Goodell, helped calm a feud between Trump and the league that had been boiling over the president’s criticisms of player protests during the national athem.
{mosads}Trump asked Canadian officials to renew a rule that requires Canadian advertisements to be broadcast in Canada during broadcasts of the Super Bowl, regardless of whether the game feed is on a Canadian or American broadcast.
Some Canadians would rather watch the American commercials, the Times reported, given the popularity of the expensive spots broadcast during the game.
A White House official told the Times that American negotiators said “there’s no deal without it” during negotiations on a new North American Free Trade Agreement, even though the issue didn’t seem as important as other high-profile issues.
It’s not clear if the truce will hold, but Trump is scheduled to do an interview with CBS on Sunday before the big game and he has not been riddling the league with insults on Twitter.
Goodell called Trump to thank him for the demand on the commercials, the Times reported, and later issued a statement offering praise for Trump’s leadership.