NFL players "overreacted" to President Donald Trump's remarks regarding the national anthem last Friday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said.
According to Politico, Christie spoke about the anthem controversy during a press conference Friday and said it's been blown out of proportion.
More than 200 players took a knee during the national anthem before NFL games last weekend.
"I have no problem with people protesting, but I do think it's a problem when that protest shows disrespect for our flag and for our national anthem," said the Republican governor, adding that the players "overreacted."
"I'm not saying they don't have the right to be disrespectful," he added. "They have the right to do what they want to do. But also the American people have a right to respond to that if they think it's disrespectful."
During a speech last Friday, Trump suggested that NFL owners should kick players off their teams if they refuse to stand for the national anthem. A handful of players had been doing so before that to protest police brutality, but the comments sparked several dozen more to join in the protest.
The Dallas Cowboys opted to take a knee and lock arms before the anthem Monday night, and then the entire team stood during the anthem.
"I think the Dallas Cowboys handled it perfectly," Christie said.
Trump doubled down on his controversial comments this week, saying NFL players "cannot disrespect our flag or our national anthem."
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.