Colin Kaepernick refuses “to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people”...

Jaguars owner Shad Khan calls President Trump ‘The Great Divider’

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan, who linked arms with his players last month following inflammatory remarks by President Donald Trump, reportedly took on the president Friday, calling him “the great divider.”

Khan spoke at a conference put on by Crain’s Chicago Business, which reported on the event. A spokesman for Khan confirmed he attended the Chicago event and said the reporting of Khan’s remarks by Crain’s was accurate.

“What [Trump] has done is shown leadership as the great divider, not uniter. We are used to being warm and fuzzy and cuddled. Well, it’s a different time,” the weekly business publication quoted Khan as saying.

Crain’s quoted Khan as saying that because of Trump, “politics and the Western World will never be the same again.” And that, “a lot of the stuff like football [that] Trump does is highly calculated — he looks for issues that you can touch and it will blow people up.”

It was at a Sept. 22 campaign rally in Huntsville, Ala., that Trump said National Football League owners should fire players who do not stand for the national anthem. He used profanity in referring to players protesting social injustice.

Khan said Friday, “You have to give Trump credit, people are confused on the First Amendment versus patriotism, that if you exercise your First Amendment you’re not a patriot, which is crazy. … People are confused on it, [Trump] knew he could hit on it and take advantage. I think what we’re seeing is the great divider overcoming the great uniter.”

On Sept. 24, more than 130 NFL players sat, knelt or raised their fists before that Sunday’s games, the first following Trump’s suggestion that protesting players should be fired. That day’s first contest was the Jaguars’ game against the Baltimore Ravens in London. There, Khan joined his players along the sideline during the anthem and linked arms with the players standing on either side of him.

Khan said Friday, “I had heard from a lot of the players what their feelings were, how offended they were [by Trump’s comments] and what they were going to do and my concern was that they don’t do anything to hurt themselves,” he said. “We wanted to do something as a team, because a team divided against itself cannot stand.”

Khan, who donated $1 million toward Trump’s inaugural committee, also reportedly spoke about what he termed the divisive nature of the political advice Trump receives.

Crain’s quoted him as saying, “Steve Bannon or whoever is analyzing the data realizes, ‘How do I get elected?’ I get elected by dividing this person or this group against this group. What are the worst fears, phobias somebody has, how do I tap that button and get them with my people? There’s a lot of predictive behavior here.”

Among Khan’s other remarks, as reported by Crain’s:“The root cause [of gun violence in Chicago and Detroit] is there aren’t good jobs. We focus on 40-year-old and 50-year-old white guys that are unemployed, (but) these are minority kids in inner cities, and Trump has hit on this. That is a hot button issue for us, our politicians haven’t addressed. … Unless that is addressed and we create jobs, we’re going to have all this unrest.”

“So whenever you get down to it, [diversity is] good business. And if you haven’t looked at all the candidates, you haven’t found the best candidate, and it shouldn’t be reverse discrimination either. If I can get it out to a simple point: diversity is better business.”

Khan also recalled at the conference unflattering remarks about league owners made to him years ago as he was attempting to buy an NFL franchise. He said he was told, “You’ve got a bunch of 85-year-old guys who don’t think they’re racist, but they are racist.” Khan, who grew up in Pakistan, became the NFL’s first and only non-white owner when he took over the Jaguars in January 2012.

Less than six years later, Khan is heavily involved in league management. He is chairman of its Business Ventures Committee and sits on three other committees: NFL Network, Health and Safety, and Finance.

NFL owners are to meet Tuesday and Wednesday in New York, and the league’s spokesman has said the national anthem will be a key topic of discussion. The Associated Press obtained a memo to owners from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell saying that the anthem issue is dividing the league from its fans and that the league needs “to move past this controversy.”

The AP said Goodell wrote, “The controversy over the anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players.”

The controversy has lingered in part due to the actions of Vice President Mike Pence, who left a Sunday game in Indianapolis after players knelt, and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who threatened to bench players who protest during the anthem. President Trump used Twitter to express his support for Jones and to reveal that Pence left the game at his instruction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wd-91b0rpA

Skip Bayless: Colin Kaepernick Filing a Grievance Against NFL is ‘A Last Desperate Act’

On Sunday, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick announced — through attorney Mark Geragos — that he’s filing a grievance against the NFL. Kaepernick, who remains a free agent, is alleging that teams have colluded to keep him out of the league.

Monday on Undisputed, Skip Bayless said he believes that the former San Francisco signal caller’s legal maneuver amounts to little more than a Hail Mary of sorts to try to get back in the NFL. Calling it “a last, desperate act,” Bayless thinks the grievance might dash any hope Kaepernick has of getting signed.

“Whatever bridge was left, I think you just burned it to the ground,” Bayless said.

Undisputed co-host Shannon Sharpe agreed.

“Not only did you burn the bridge, you destroyed the earth so no one else can build a bridge to help you back across,” Sharpe said.

Bayless has spoken out in support of Colin Kaepernick’s protest against racial and social oppression, during which he knelt for the National Anthem throughout the 2016 season. And he believes that collusion between at least two teams did take place to freeze Kaepernick out of football. But he also thinks Kaepernick will have a difficult time proving his case.

To that end, Bayless criticized Kapernick for hiring Geragos — who has represented Michael Jackson, Scott Peterson, and Gary Condit among others — to represent him. Bayless dismissed Geragos as a “celebrity attorney,” and said he was surprised Kapernick didn’t opt for a labor law specialist.

“It smacks of just wanting a settlement,” Bayless said.

Knicks owner Dolan wrote Trump $125K check after he closed White House to NBA champs

WASHINGTON -- Five days after President Donald Trump told the National Basketball Association champion Golden State Warriors they weren't welcome at the White House, the owner of the New York Knicks sent a $125,000 check to help his re-election efforts.

James Dolan, executive chairman of Madison Square Garden Corp., contributed the money to the joint fundraising committee set up by Trump and the Republican National Committee, Federal Election Commission filings show.

His check was dated Sept. 28. That same week, on Sept. 23, Trump disinvited the Warriors from the traditional White House visit afforded most championship sports teams after all-star guard Stephen Curry said he wouldn't accompany the team.

"This is indeed how the game is played," said Craig Holman of Public Citizen, a Washington-based advocacy group that favors stronger campaign finance laws. "Clearly, the New York Knicks owner wants to make sure the Knicks are not dissed by the president, who has a tendency to do that type of thing."

Dolan also contributed to $300,000 to the joint fundraising committee last year, FEC records show.

"Mr. Dolan is a long-time friend and supporter of President Trump," Knicks spokesman Jonathan Supranowitz said. "His contribution is a matter of public record, and was made by Mr. Dolan as a private citizen."

Trump's criticism of the Warriors came while simultaneously criticizing National Football League players for protesting police brutality against minority communities by kneeling during the national anthem.

Scott Walker to NFL players: Stop 'divisive' anthem protests, stand against domestic violence instead

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says it's time for professional football players to stop protesting racial inequality and police brutality during the national anthem and instead focus on denouncing domestic violence.

Walker sent a letter on Monday to the National Football League and the NFL Players Association with what he called a simple request: that players stand during the national anthem and use their platforms to stand against domestic violence.

"It is time for players in the NFL to stop their protests during the anthem and move on from what has become a divisive political sideshow," Walker wrote. "Instead, I encourage them to use their voices and influence to take a stand against domestic violence. With the NFL Fall League Meeting occurring tomorrow, during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, now would be an especially opportune time to strongly condemn domestic violence and lead the charge in supporting safe families across America."

The Republican governor said the idea came to him last week during an awards ceremony at the state Capitol recognizing outstanding achievement in domestic abuse issues.

"As I sat and heard these amazing stories, it occurred to me that NFL players could have a remarkable impact on awareness and prevention efforts if each player would agree to speak out, as well as agree to take a personal stand, against domestic violence. This is an issue that can unite people across America," Walker wrote.

Asked about the protests a few weeks ago, Walker said it's important to him, personally, to stand with his hand over his heart during the national anthem, but that he would not "tell people what they should or shouldn't do."

In his letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL players union director DeMaurice Smith, Walker said speaking up for one's beliefs is "a profoundly American idea," but "disrespecting our flag, and the men and women who have fought to protect and defend our country, is not American in the slightest."

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was the first player to kneel during the national anthem, starting last season, in protest of racial inequality and police brutality in the United States. Other players have joined the protests this season, while President Donald Trump has called on the NFL and team owners to fire players who participate.

Vice President Mike Pence said he walked out of an Indianapolis Colts game last week because players protested during the anthem.

The NFL has also been criticized for years for its lax approach to acts of domestic violence committed by players.

"My request is simple: stand for the American flag and the national anthem out of respect for those who risk their lives for our freedoms, and then take a stand against domestic violence to keep American families safe. That’s something we can all agree on, and that just might help the NFL reunite with many of its devoted fans," Walker wrote.