Even if someone actually agrees with the protests that has poisoned the NFL over the last couple of years, they absolutely can’t deny the consistent failures of the NFL when it comes to their handling of the situation.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wasn’t about to let the NFL get a free pass on their fumbling of the ongoing saga that saw multiple players either take a knee or raise a fist in protest during the national anthem on game day.
TMZ Sports talked to Cruz after he touched down at an airport in Washington D.C. on Monday. The TMZ reporter asked Cruz whether he thinks that Congress should take a more active role in oversight of the NFL.
“I think it has been amazing watching the NFL do unprecedented damage to their brand and the way they handled the anthem protest I think was spectacularly harmful to professional football,” Cruz told TMZ.
It can’t be denied that the NFL suffered in television ratings while they were still broadcasting the anthem for the viewing audience. The rating for the 2018 NFL season opener between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons was the NFL’s lowest rating for a season opener since 2009.
When asked again whether the federal government should get involved in the NFL’s image problem, Cruz did the American thing and referred the problem to the people.
“You know, at the end of the day, I trust the fans to exercise the appropriate check,” Cruz said.
That’s the absolute correct response. The fewer things government sticks their noses in the better.
You can watch the brief Cruz interview with TMZ Sports below: