Just prior to the start of the 2017 NFL season, Donald Trump criticized the players who protested during the playing of the National Anthem. While the president has been quiet on the issue as of late, he returned to Twitter to give a reminder that he hasn't forgotten about his sports feud.

Trump on NFL

It all started during the Alabama special election primary when Donald Trump went down to campaign for Republican candidate Luther Strange. During his speech, the former host of "The Apprentice" brought up the issue of some NFL players deciding to protest during the national anthem as a way to bring attention to police brutality and racial injustice in the United States.

It was a year earlier when then quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick, decided to kneel during the anthem, sparking a heated debate on the issue across the country. As expected, a partisan reaction followed with most liberals supporting Kaepernick, while conservatives lashed out and accused him of being un-American. In response, Trump referred to the protesting players as a "son of a b*tch" who should be fired by team owners. Hundreds of players then took part in protests in the weeks that followed, as the president went back and forth with insults on Twitter. As seen during a tweet on January 4, Trump is back at it with his attack on the NFL.

In a tweet on Thursday morning, Donald Trump re-tweeted a meme in support of standing for the national anthem, while adding a few thoughts of his own.

"We stand to honor those who fought and died defending the greatest nation the world has ever known. God bless our vets!" the original tweet read. "So beautiful....Show this picture to the NFL players who still kneel!" the president went on to add.

Instant reaction

As expected, those who oppose Donald Trump took time to rip into the commander in chief over his meme and tweet.

"Dude- we’ve all move on from that.. it’s playoffs.. your tweet means nothing," one tweet read.

"I thought you liked peaceful protests...or is it only if they're not in OUR country," a Twitter user wrote.

"Hey @realDonaldTrump tell us about your patriotic military service," pro wrestler MVP sarcastically asked.

"Trump praises protesters in Iran yet still disrespects peaceful NFL players who #TakeAKnee To protest injustice!" Bishop Talbert Swan wrote. "NFL players are protesting you and injustice. not the troops," yet another tweet added. The negative reaction to Donald Trump continued as critics of the president stand with the players in the National Football League over their right to peacefully protest during the playing of the national anthem.
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