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Football players are lashing out at Donald Trump after the president went on an extended rant about athlete activism at a rally Friday night. 
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Trump called on NFL owners to fire players who kneel or otherwise protest during the national anthem and encouraged fans to boycott the league.。

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"Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out. He's fired! He's fired! He's fired!" Trump said. 。

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The seemingly off-the-cuff comments drew instant condemnation from current and former players on Twitter. Activist and
。 Intercept。columnist Shaun King reported that the NFL Players Association was also preparing a critical response. 。

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A growing number of NFL players and other athletes have made symbolic gestures during the anthem to call attention to incidents of police brutality as part of a movement former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started last fall.。

Trump has previously attacked Kaepernick on multiple occasions and took credit for his current unemployment at a rally earlier this year. 。

This isn't the first time Trump's administration has called for the firing of private citizens. Just last week, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders called for ESPN to fire reporter Jemele Hill for calling Trump a white supremacist on Twitter. 。

The president also seemed to criticize the NFL for taking safety measures meant to reduce the number of head injuries that have caused players lasting brain damage. 。

“They want to hit!

“They want to hit! It’s ruining the game," he said.。

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