The Jocks vs. the Pretty People" controversy, which occurred when some students at Duke University chanted a phrase that insulted the school's mostly female and Jewish student body. On June 29, 2019, in anticipation of the visit, the University of Florida and university President Kent Fuchs publicly stated that he would respect and preserve the students' freedom of speech and expression, to the disappointment of many of the faculty who had been outspoken against the protest. The visit occurred on July 15, 2019, which began with the University Athletic Association playing an Ohio State fight song, a version of "Fight On" with lyrics replaced with "O-H, O-H, We Win!" On its fourth rendition, members of a singing group joined in by shouting "Trump!", triggering a second protest by many of the University's students. Both protests ended peacefully before the President made his way to the campus to speak in front of a nearly sold-out stadium. The visit lasted less than 30 minutes, with Trump not staying for any public appearances with the players. He left the campus as protesters chanted "four more years". After the game, the University was met with outrage from the Florida community. According to a report by the Gainesville Sun, the visit was met with widespread condemnation, with calls to disinvite him and condemn the team's actions. The Gainesville Sun cited a poll by Florida Politics as evidence that over 70% of respondents disagreed with the President's decision to visit. On July 22, 2019, University President Kent Fuchs issued a letter, publicly apologizing for hosting Trump in his letter. The letter was also signed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Wayne T. Smith, Jr., the University Student Body President, and other trustees and members of the community. It stated: "We regret the concerns some of you have with this year’s Presidential visit to our campus, while others wonder why it took us almost two weeks to speak out. Ultimately, I am accountable, and if I fell short of your expectations, I want to do better. We have heard you, and we will do better." A University of Florida student newspaper poll asked students what they would do about Trump's visit in the future, with 43.7% saying they did not want the team to play another game at the new stadium until the team disinvites Trump, and 32.4% disagreeing with that idea. On August 21, 2019, the university issued an apology to the Jacksonville Jaguars after they were booed at EverBank Field during their matchup against the Denver Broncos, which took place on August 21. The apology was written on behalf of the administration and accepted by the Jaguars, the NFL team that the Florida Gators play every year. NFL players reaction The football team refused to meet with Trump after the incident. Several NFL players spoke out against Trump and his opinions. "I don't think [the protest] should happen," Jaguars player A.J. Bouye said of Trump's comments. "I'm a big boy. I can handle it. It's nothing against him, he can say what he wants to say. Just don't say it in the workplace." Several members of the Jacksonville Jaguars, along with Jaguars owner Shad Khan, skipped the national anthem ceremony before their game against the Houston Texans on September 24, 2017. Members of the Jacksonville Jaguars knelt for the national anthem before the game on October 1, 2017. During a protest in 2017, then-Colts defensive lineman Jonathan Newsome stated, "we are NFL players, but more importantly we are American citizens." On September 22, 2018, players on the Pittsburgh Steelers chose not to stand for the anthem. Many of them were members of the team's black players' coalition. In a statement released the day before the Steelers first game of the season, they cited Trump's past criticism of player's protests and Trump's "politicization of sports as it relates to the black community and our need to honor the flag and our national anthem" in their decision. On November 7, 2018, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he would bench any player who refuses to stand during the national anthem, and suspended defensive lineman David Irving after he was seen "taunting" a group of military men and women who were there to see the Dallas Cowboys take on the Arizona Cardinals. He also said he would fire any player on the team if he were found protesting in that way. On November 8, 2018, Trump's attacks on professional athletes and coaches who chose to protest received widespread criticism from professional athletes. The NFL Players Association issued a statement in support of the players and coaches who have participated in protests. "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 communities." the statement read. On May 29, 2019, the San Francisco 49ers announced they would not be playing during the national anthem before their game with the Chicago Bears, citing the NFL's policy regarding players kneeling during the anthem and the recent firing of former 49ers general manager, John Lynch, for not supporting Colin Kaepernick's kneeling as the reason. They were joined by four Jacksonville Jaguars players, Leonard Fournette, Yannick Ngakoue, Calais Campbell, and Marcell Dareus. The team released a statement saying, "The players jointly decided this was the best course of action. Our intention was not to exclude players from our thought and prayer ceremony that is honoring our military and our great country, but to highlight the fact that we continue to be united in our actions." On August 31, 2019, the Dolphins began a two-week demonstration of "Together We Stand", honoring the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City, taking place every Sunday. Players would kneel in prayer and link arms. Miami Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz and several Miami players kneeled for the entirety of the pregame ceremony. The team has had more players sitting during the anthem since taking this stance. During a September 5th game against the Oakland Raiders, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross took a knee in support of players kneeling. On November 7, 2019, Los Angeles Chargers player Hunter Henry stated during a game against the Kansas City Chiefs that “We are not disrespecting the military. We are not disrespecting our flag. That's not who we are." On January 20, 2020, many players on the Minnesota Vikings were given the day off for the team's game against the Carolina Panthers to honor the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, who died earlier that week. Players who were absent included Teddy Bridgewater, Danielle Hunter, Kirk Cousins, Eric Kendricks, Linval Joseph, Eric Wilson, Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter, and Everson Griffen. See also Trump–NFL players collision American Needle v. NFL References External links Category:History of the New York Giants (1961–present) Category:2016 controversies in the United States Category:National Football League controversies Category:Presidency of Donald Trump Category:United States labor case law Category:Criticism of sports Category:2016 in American law Category:Criticism of Donald Trump