RENTON, Wash. — After the Seahawks wrapped up another day of organized team activities Thursday, all of the talk after practice was about the new national anthem policy.
"I think that the NFL really missed it this time,” said Doug Baldwin, a Seahawks wide receiver.
When Baldwin was asked about Donald Trump's latest comments on Fox News that NFL players who don't stand during the national anthem should perhaps not be in the country, he had this to say about the president:
"He's an idiot. Plain and simple,” Baldwin said. “Listen, I respect the man because he's a human being, first and foremost, but he's just being more divisive -- which is not surprising. But for him to say that anybody who doesn't follow his viewpoints or his constituents' viewpoints should be kicked out of the country, it's just not very empathetic."
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson told a group of reporters he feels like players are being told to shut up by the league.
"Pretty much. I think that's part of it. It seems that way,” Wilson said. “But I think that, like I said, a policy, right or wrong, is not going to fix our problems."
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said the new policy is another example of our polarizing times.
"I think this illustration of, you know, [a] new statement of what's going to be and all that is gonna have an effect,” Carroll said. “And we're gonna have to deal with that [new national anthem policy]. I was kind of liking the way it was going [before all of this happened]. Now it's kind of taken out of control from the coach and the players – and the locker room – to a certain extent."
Baldwin said adjusting to this new policy won't be easy for the team.
"We're still processing it, to be honest with you. It's a little traumatizing, so it's going to take us a while to process it."
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