Donald Trump and Football Safety

Donald Trump Regarding the Risk of Brain Damage From Playing Football

THEN
NOW


2013 - 2017
Feb 3, 2019

Donald Trump and Football Safety Then
Donald Trump and Football Safety Now

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#DonaldTrump 1/10/16: "Football has become soft like our country has become soft." » #Trump 2/3/19: "Would I steer ❲my son to play football❳? No." #NFL Click To Tweet

Donald Trump Regarding the Risk of Brain Damage From Playing Football

THEN

2013 - 2017

Donald Trump and Football Safety Then
“The NFL has just barred ball carriers from using helmet as contact. What is happening to the sport? The beginning of the end.”
“Referees are destroying the enjoyment of NFL games. Slowing down the fun. Big shots.”
“@Echo5Chrly: ‘@MikeAndMike for once @realDonaldTrump makes sense. The @nfl has become less entertaining due to all the flags.‘”
“@Hai: ‘I couldn’t agree more with @realDonaldTrump about the NFL becoming the No Fun League. I’m glad someone finally came out and said it!'”
#DonaldTrump 10/12/16: "We don’t go by these new, and very much softer, NFL rules." » #Trump 2/3/19: "As far as my son…I would have a hard time with ❲him playing football❳." #NFL Click To Tweet
“@dmadan81: ‘“The NFL is becoming unwatchable; because of the flags” – @realDonaldTrump‘”
“@Valbano206: ‘Loved listening to @realDonaldTrump this morning on @MikeAndMike fantastic and true view points on the sad state of the NFL'”
“I’m not going to be watching much NFL football anymore. Too time consuming, too boring, too many flags and too soft. Focus on other things!”
“The @nfl ratings continue to fall every week and will keep dropping. Boring games–too many flags–too soft!”
“Wow. @nfl ratings are down big league. Glad I didn’t get the Bills. Rather be lucky than good.”
“Are NFL games getting boring or is it just my magnificent imagination? In any event, I’m just not watching them much anymore!”
“The @nfl games are so boring now that actually, I’m glad I didn’t get the Bills. Boring games, too many flags, too soft!”
“@StClou: ‘Have to agree with Mr. T, what will ruin NFL is not the off-field idiocy, but the on field idiocy of penalizing every hard tackle‘”
“The NFL image is really tarnished! Now, if the sponsors start leaving and the ratings go down, the NFL will be in big trouble. Boring games!”
#DonaldTrump 1/10/16: "These…softer, NFL rules…Uh oh, got a little ding on the head?…You can’t play for the rest of the season." » #Trump 2/3/19: "Would I steer ❲my son to play football❳? No." Click To Tweet
“There are just so many penalties and such long commercials in these NFL games that they are no longer worth watching. Soft hitting & boring!”
“It’s a Sunday, who the hell wants to watch these crummy games?… So I’m watching a game yesterday. What used to be considered a great tackle, a violent head-on — a violent — … you used to see these tackles and it was incredible to watch, right? Now they tackle. ‘Oh, head-on-head collision, 15 yards.’ The whole game is all screwed up. You say, ‘Wow, what a tackle.’ Bing. Flag. Football has become soft. Football has become soft. Now, I’ll be criticized for that. They’ll say, ‘Oh, isn’t that terrible.’ But football has become soft like our country has become soft. It’s true. It’s true. The outcome of games has been changed by what used to be phenomenal, phenomenal stuff. Now these are rough guys, these are rough guys. These guys — what they’re doing is incredible, but I looked at it and I watched yesterday in particular. So many flags, right? So many flags. And I could imagine a guy like Lawrence Taylor and Dick Butkus, who was really rough, and some of these guys sitting there watching. ‘Wow, what a beautiful tackle.’ ‘Fifteen yards! That’s — the game is over.’ You can’t kick a field goal any more.

“It’s become weak and you know what? It’s going to affect the NFL. I don’t even watch it as much anymore. It’s going to affect the NFL. I don’t watch it. The referees, they want to all throw flags so their wives see them at home. ‘Oh, there’s my husband.’ It’s true. ‘He just broke up — he just gave a 15-yard penalty on one of the most beautiful tackles made this year.’ Right?

“It’s boring — although I love Tom Brady. I gotta tell you. I do love Tom. He’s a great guy. But it’s different. But it’s become soft and our country has become soft.”
- Jan 10, 2016

Campaign rally in Reno, Nevada

Washington Post, Jan 10, 2016
Donald Trump: NFL ‘football has become soft like our country has become soft’

(retrieved 2/3/19)
“That [Trump rally attendee] was out cold, and now she’s coming back. See, we don’t go by these new, and very much softer, NFL rules. Concussions — ‘Uh oh, got a little ding on the head? No, no, you can’t play for the rest of the season’ — our people are tough.”
- Oct 12, 2016

Sports Illustrated, Oct 12, 2016
Video: Donald Trump mocks NFL’s handling of brain injuries

(retrieved 2/3/19)
“The NFL ratings are down massively… Because, you know, today if you hit too hard, right, they hit too hard, 15 yards, throw him out of the game. They had that last week. I watched for a couple of minutes and two guys just really a beautiful tackle, boom, 15 yards! The referee gets on television, his wife it sitting at home, she’s so proud of him, they’re ruining the game. Right? They’re ruining the game. Hey, look, that’s what they want to do, they want to hit, OK? They want to hit! It is hurting the game.”
- Sept 23, 2017

Factbase, Sept 22, 2017
Speech: Donald Trump Holds a Political Rally in Huntsville, Alabama - September 22, 2017

(retrieved 2/3/19)

#DonaldTrump 9/22/17: "❲Referees are❳ ruining the game…❲players❳ want to hit." » #Trump 2/3/19: "I’ve heard NFL players saying they wouldn’t let their sons play football." #NFL Click To Tweet

NOW

Feb 3, 2019

Donald Trump and Football Safety Now
“[Whether I would let my son Barron play football is] very, it’s very tough question. It’s a very good question. If he wanted to? Yes. Would I steer him that way? No, I wouldn’t… I – I just don’t like the reports that I see coming out having to do with football — I mean, it’s a dangerous sport and I think it’s – I – it’s – really tough, I thought the equipment would get better, and it has. The helmets have gotten far better but it hasn’t solved the problem. So, you know I – I hate to say it because I love to watch football. I think the NFL is a great product, but I really think that as far as my son — well I’ve heard NFL players saying they wouldn’t let their sons play football. So. It’s not totally unique, but I – I would have a hard time with it.”
Feb 3, 2019 -

CBS News, Feb 3, 2019
Transcript: President Trump on 'Face the Nation,' February 3, 2019

(retrieved 2/3/19)

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