![Being free in the Land of the Free can mean different things to different people. - [Image Credit: Jörg Husemann / Pixabay]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2018/6/9/660x290/b_502x220x82/being-free-in-the-land-of-the-free-can-mean-different-things-to-different-people-image-via-pixabayjorg-husemann_2028075.jpg "Being free in the Land of the Free can mean different things to different people. - [Image Credit: Jörg Husemann / Pixabay]")
Trump’s pardoning fever is in full force. On Friday morning (June 8) from the lawn of the White House, Trump publicly reiterated his position on the NFL standing, kneeling and staying in the locker room protests during the national anthem--views that found their way into a new NFL rule and policy.
The president said he wanted the protesting NFL players to recommend names of “friends of theirs or people they know about” that had been treated “unfairly by the justice system.“
The POTUS explained that he and his committee would then review the applications and look to “pardoning them or let them out.“ This is what the president said that the NFL players were protesting about.
However, it is not; this is the result. The kneeling protest was and is about police brutality against people of color--some end up in jail, others the cemetery.
Quinnipiac University conducted a recent poll (June 7) in which results showed a majority of the country, 51 percent, support the NFL players and 58 percent do not see them as unpatriotic. These results have found their way to newsdesks like NBC and CNN. Could this new information have caused a change of heart or at least a political strategy for Trump? Or perhaps it was the controversy that came as a result of his disinviting the Philadephia Eagles from the White House-Super Bowl Champs' party? Either way, Trump has played his hand to the NFL players, and now America waits.
Pardoning Black men who are dead
Publicly, the president was asked if there would be more pardons to which he replied that there would be “literally thousands” more. He then reminded the media that he had pardoned deceased Jack Johnson, the Black boxer who was convicted of taking his White girlfriend across stateliness in the early 1900s.
Trump reminded the press that this pardoning recommendation came from Sylvester Stallone,
Staying with the theme of boxing, Trump then spoke about the possibility of pardoning the late-great Muhammad Ali for dodging the draft. There is just one problem with this pardon—it isn’t necessary. The Supreme Court already overturned Ali’s conviction in 1971, so there is no conviction to pardon, confirmed CNN reports.
Presidential pardon power
The ability to pardon does not require anything except the word of the president. CNN reported that Trump told the media that his power to pardon is a “beautiful thing.” This may be owed to Trump feeling restrained by the duties of the president that need the approval of Congress and this one
He has recently entertained the idea of pardoning Martha Stewart who was found guilty of insider trading and served six months in jail, and Rod Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois who was accused of trying to sell President Senate's seat. Trump has even stated publicly and via tweet that he has the “absolute right” to pardon himself but that he didn’t need to because he didn’t do anything wrong.
Eric Reid, a former NFL player who also protested, said a goal of the protest was "change." However, one has to ask if Trump will address the issue of police brutality or if there will indeed be a meeting between the NFL players and the POTUS.
David Whitley of the Orlando Sentinel suggested that perhaps "taking Trump up on his offer may be the place to start."
Whatever is decided, something must be done and done fast, because the start of the new Football season and midterms are approaching. And this topic is sure to impact the success and outcome for all involved.
