President Trump Attacks Steph Curry, Kaepernick; Gets Major Pushback

President Trump's attacks on black pro athletes who have exercised their First Amendment rights have drawn a major backlash against him. Twice in the span of about 12 hours, the president launched broadsides against NFL players and Steph Curry of the NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

It started Friday night in Alabama, where Trump was attending a campaign rally for Senator Luther Strange.

While he mentioned Strange a couple of times, he spent a significant part of his appearance bemoaning NFL players who have taken to one knee instead of standing for the National Anthem. He didn't mention former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick by name, but Kaepernick drew a lot of attention last year for his protests.

And he's received almost as much attention this year for the fact that as a free agent he has not been signed.

"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag to say get that son of a b***h off the field right now, out, he's fired," Trump said to the crowd in Huntsville, were he spoke for more than one hour. "He's fired!

"You know, some owner is going to do that. He’s going to say, 'That guy that disrespects our flag, he's fired.' And that owner, they don't know it (but) they'll be the most popular person in this country."

The president's comments drew strong rebukes from players, activists, and the NFL.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement that "divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our players, and a failure to understand the overwhelming force for good our clubs and players represent in our community."

The American Civil Liberties Union reminded Trump that Americans are guaranteed the right to protest.

"This is the President of the United States referring to an American who has exercised his right to protest racial injustice," they tweeted.

Trump's words also come less than two weeks after his press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said ESPN host Jemelle Hill should lose her job for calling the president a white supremacist.

"Just so we're clear: the president's comments will only incite more player protests, not quell them," Hill tweeted in response to the president's latest comments on Kaepernick.

Football players also had strong words for the president.

"Whether or not Roger and the owners will speak for themselves about their views on player rights and their commitment to player safety remains to be seen," the NFL Players Association said in a statement. "This union, however, will never back down when it comes to protecting the constitutional rights of our players as citizens as well as their safety as men who compete in a game that exposes them to great risks."

The first NFL game played Sunday was between the Baltimore Ravens and the Jacksonville Jaguars at London's Wembley Stadium. During the anthem, players from both teams locked arms in a show of support, while several players knelt. Also kneeling during the national anthem was Ravens legend Ray Lewis, who was in the middle of the players on the field.

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said he understands the widespread influence NFL players have. “We respect their demonstration and support them 100 percent. All voices need to be heard," Bisciotti said, according to the team's website. "That’s democracy in its highest form.”

It's not the first time Trump has taken aim at Kaepernick. At a rally in Louisville, Kentucky in May, he said the NFL owners were not signing Kaepernick because he had read a news report that they did not want one of the president's angry tweets directed at them.

The president on Saturday then took to Twitter to imply that when an athlete signs a contract, he gives up his First Amendment rights.

Those tweets came just a few hours he had used the social media service to withdraw an invitation to the NBA champion Golden State Warriors to visit the White House as is tradition.

Trump's tweets were in response to statements from the Warriors's star, Steph Curry, saying he wouldn't go to the White House.

"Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team," Trump tweeted. "Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!"

Curry, though, had no hesitation about his position.

"I don't want to go," he told reporters. By acting and not going, hopefully that will inspire some change when it comes to what we tolerate in this country and what is accepted and what we turn a blind eye to."

Asked what kind of statement it would be if the team decided not to go, Curry said that it would mean that the team doesn't stand for what the president stands for.

Curry got support from his on-court rival and off-court ally, LeBron James, who used the president's favorite mode of communication to correct the president.

The Warriors then released a statement saying that "President Trump has made it clear that we are not invited.

"We believe there is nothing more American than our citizens having the right to express themselves freely on matters important to them."

The team also says that "in lieu of a visit to the White House, we have decided that we'll constructively use our trip to the nation's capital in February to celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion - the values that we embrace as an organization."

Colin Miner contributed reporting to this story.

President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally for Senate candidate Luther Strange, Friday, Sept. 22, 2017, in Huntsville, Ala. Photo by Evan Vucci/Associated Press