Mike Pence leaves a game in the NFL, outraged by players kneeling

Photo: Michael Conroy Agence France-Presse
The american vice-president, Mike Pence and his wife Karen

New York — vice-president Mike Pence has left a football game on Sunday in reaction to the attitude of many players who had knelt during the national anthem, the subject of controversy initiated by the american president Donald Trump several weeks ago.

Former governor of Indiana, Mike Pence had decided to attend the match of the Indianapolis Colts, to pay tribute to the former quarterback star Peyton Manning, who was to be honored at a ceremony Sunday.

At the time of the national anthem, a score of players for the San Francisco 49ers, the visiting team, put a knee on the ground.

This gesture has been adopted by dozens of players since Mr. Trump has called the end of September the owners of franchises of the NFL to “expel” the players who “[were missing] of compliance ” to the american flag.

Outraged by this attitude, Mike Pence, who wore a sweater and a cap, the Colts, left the Lucas Oil Stadium without waiting for the end of the meeting. “I left the game today because the president and I will honor any event that lack of respect to our soldiers, our flag or our national anthem,” writes the second character of the american State, on his Twitter account.

“Even if everyone has the right to his opinion, I don’t think this is too much to ask to the players of the NFL to respect the flag and our national anthem “, he added.

I stand with @POTUS Trump, I stand with our soldiers, and I will always stand for our Flag and our National Anthem. pic.twitter.com/B0zP5M41MQ

— Vice President Pence (@VP) October 8, 2017

A few minutes later, Donald Trump was awarded the decision of Mike Pence. “I asked the vice-president Pence to leave the stage if players put a knee on the ground [during the national anthem], a lack of respect for our country,” he wrote on his Twitter account. “I am proud of him and of Karen” Pence, the wife of Mike Pence, who was in his company on Sunday.

I asked @VP Pence to leave stadium if any players kneeled, is disrespecting our country. I am proud of him and @SecondLady Karen.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2017

Mr. Trump has multiplied the tweets since the end of September to take it out on the players of the NFL but also to the owners of the teams, accusing them of being complacent. He predicted that if the league didn’t change position in relation to these events, during the anthem, she would see his popularity collapse.

The first to manifest itself when the national anthem was the former quarterback of the 49ers Colin Kaepernick, who had refused to stand during a game in August 2016, and then had put a knee on the ground at subsequent meetings. He wanted to protest against the repression of which were victims of Blacks in the United States, according to him.