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By Perry Green, AFRO Sports Editor, [email protected]
Philadelphia Eagles receiver Torrey Smith accused President Donald Trump of lying after the controversial president announced June 4 that he was canceling the Eagles’ visit to the White House because they disagreed with standing for the National Anthem.
“So many lies,” Smith tweeted. “…no one refused to go simply because Trump insists folks stand for the anthem. The President continues to spread the false narrative that players are anti-military.” Smith also reminded his followers that no Eagles player took a knee in protest during the playing of the anthem at any point during the regular season or playoffs last year.
After canceling the Eagles visit, Trump held an event meant to celebrate patriotism and then appeared to forget the words to “God Bless America.”
But apparently the POTUS isn’t the only one who may have misled people with a false narrative.
Fox News reported on Trump’s canceling of the Eagles’ White House visit yesterday and aired photos of multiple Eagles players kneeling during the TV segment. The images were of multiple Eagles players kneeling together in the end zone before a game. But the players shown weren’t kneeling during the anthem in protest; the photos, instead, captured players kneeling in prayer, as many NFL players have traditionally done.
Eagles tight-end Zach Ertz ripped the news network for using the photos, calling them “propaganda.”
“This can’t be serious…. Praying before games with my teammates, well before the anthem, is being used for your propaganda?! Just sad, I feel like you guys should have to be better than this,” Ertz tweeted.
Fox News eventually apologized for using the photos.
“During our report about President Trump canceling the Philadelphia Eagles’ trip to the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl win, we showed unrelated footage of players kneeling in prayer,” said Christopher Wallace, executive producer of “Fox News @ Night with Shannon Bream,” in a statement sent to the Washington Post. “To clarify, no members of the team knelt in protest during the national anthem through the regular or postseason last year. We apologize for the error.”
Smith piggybacked his teammates’ comments and also retweeted a comment he made back in February, further explaining why he and many of his teammates didn’t want to go to the White House in celebration of their Super Bowl victory.
“For me, it’s not just about politics,” Smith said. “If I told you that I was invited to a party by an individual I believe is sexist or has no respect for women or I told you this individual has said offensive things towards minority groups…. this individual also called my peers and my friends SOBs, you would understand why I wouldn’t want to go to that party. Why is it different when the person has title of President of the United States?”
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