SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
The Center for American Progress reports
Last month, the NFL announced a new policy for its players during the national anthem: Players are permitted to stay in the locker room during the anthem, but if they go out onto the field during it, they must stand. If any of the players takes a knee, the team will be fined.
Soon afterwards, a Wall Street Journal report confirmed what most have long suspected: That President Donald Trump's public outrage about NFL players protesting police brutality and systemic racism during the national anthem at football games heavily influenced NFL owners to change the rule, and discouraged them from signing players who would protest.
It's all terrible news for those in favor of free speech and peaceful protest, and for those against white nationalism and police brutality.
However, Mark Geragos, the lawyer representing Kaepernick in his collusion lawsuit against the NFL, [...] believes [...] that Trump's direct influence over NFL owners on this issue violates federal law. U.S. Code 227 [which] says that members of Congress or the executive branch cannot "wrongfully influence a private entity's employment decision ... solely on the basis of partisan political affiliation".
A few revelations from the last couple of weeks strongly support Geragos' case here, and it's important to remember that Geragos knows much more about the case than we do--he has taken the depositions of more than a dozen NFL owners, while the public only knows about the depositions that have leaked.
[...] Of course, influencing the private hiring decisions of a company isn't the only part of U.S. Code [227] that needs to be proved; it would also have to be shown that Trump did it for partisan political purposes.
That sounds trickier to prove, but in this case, that's not necessarily true. First of all, Trump's comments were made at a political rally supporting an Alabama Republican candidate for US Senate--an expressly partisan environment. And according to the WSJ, Trump told Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in private conversations that the issue was a "winning" one for him.
Previous: NFL: New National Anthem Rule; NY Jets CEO: Break the Rule and I'll Pay the Fine
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 04 2018, @03:02AM (5 children)
Let's agree to split. Red and blue don't get along at all. Rules and laws mean shit now. Why waste all our political energy on culture wars? Split and be done with it. Lincoln made a mistake.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 04 2018, @04:58AM (2 children)
You have absolutely no idea how small of a group of conservative grifters you belong to, do you? Split? No, homey, we are going to take your shit, put you into an "educational environment", and improve your ass from the deplorable you are to the "fair-to-middling" human being you could become. Of course, we may fail. In which case there is always organ donation. Would you like a Motorcycle? Hmmm?
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 04 2018, @06:59AM (1 child)
FTFY
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 04 2018, @06:52PM
Is that supposed to be some sort of jab at socialism? Cause I will 100% give one of you conservatards my motorcycle FOR FREE if it means you'll do something stupid and get some viable organs to people who won't destroy my country.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 04 2018, @06:21PM (1 child)
it wasn't a mistake. it was intentional use of force to continue abusing the south.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 04 2018, @10:05PM
You have it completely backwards.
In his speeches, Malcolm X used to chastise Black people for voting for Democrats, noting that those in gov't weren't moving the puck (civil rights) very far very fast--if at all.
As a talking point, he'd mention the supposition that The South lost the war.
He'd then mention Southern Democrats, especially the ones who had become chairmen of congressional committees who were doing all they could to prolong segregation and red-lining and voter registration suppression, etc.
That bunch has switched parties but the prejudice is still there--and has continued to expand to include disempowerment of all of The Working Class.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]