Mike Brown: Donald Trump’s tweets have inflamed NFL’s anthem issue

CINCINNATI – Bengals owner Mike Brown says President Donald Trump’s numerous tweets attacking NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem have prolonged the issue, which he sees as one of the league’s biggest distractions.

Brown says he’s never met Trump and doesn’t think he should offer the president advice. The Bengals owner noted at the team’s annual preseason luncheon Tuesday that the NFL and the players’ association are trying to develop an anthem policy that would hopefully please not only owners and players, but the fans and the president, too.

Brown says that Trump’s tweets have worked against finding a resolution to the issue. He says the president has “stirred the pot” for political reasons, putting the league in an unfavorable light.