Trump’s feud with NFL may be result of failures in USFL era – By Gary Myers (New York Daily News)/ Sept 28 2019
Donald Trump first feuded with the NFL over three decades ago and time has not healed all wounds. Now it looks like he’s using his unexpected power of the Presidency to attempt to bully the NFL and its players and finally get even.
That’s one way to interpret Trump’s relentless attacks on the NFL regarding the national anthem issue in the last week that has somehow accomplished the impossible: He has unified the players with the owners along with finding a way to get the league office and the union to fight together.
The national anthem controversy, started by former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick one year ago to raise awareness about racial inequality, social injustice and police brutality against African-Americans, was quieting down with fewer than 10 players kneeling in Week 2 this season.
In Week 3, however, after Trump’s inflammatory “son of a b—h” remark in Alabama, about 250 players responded to Trump by kneeling for the anthem while just about every player locked arms and three teams remained in the locker room. The league is 70% black.
“I have so many friends that are owners,” Trump said Thursday on “Fox and Friends.” “And they’re in a box. I mean I’ve spoken to a couple of them. They say, we are in a situation where we have to do something. I think they’re afraid of their players, you want to know the truth.”
Is Trump’s all-out sniping at the NFL a result of his failed USFL trial in 1986 and his subsequent failed attempts to buy a team in the NFL? Does he have it in for the league?
The NFL and Trump have had a contentious relationship that goes way back to the USFL days. Most recently, Trump was outbid in 2014 by Terry and Kim Pegula for the Buffalo Bills. Trump offered $1 billion but the Pegulas were selected by the estate of the late Ralph Wilson with a winning bid of $1.4 billion. If Trump was successful in buying the Bills, perhaps he wouldn’t be President today.
On the campaign trail last year, he admitted that if he bought the Bills, “I probably wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing.” He said he was glad he didn’t get the team because running for President was “much more important.”
Forbes recently listed the Bills as being worth $1.6 billion, last in the 32-team league, but still a $200 million increase over the purchase price three years ago.
Trump’s biggest failure in what was once an obsession to own an NFL team started when he purchased the USFL New Jersey Generals for $5 million following their first season of spring football in 1983.
Three years later, he was the driving force when the USFL announced it would play its fourth season in 1986 from the spring to the fall and was also filing a $1.69 billion antitrust suit against the NFL.
Trump’s plan was transparent: He wanted into the NFL. He was hoping to bring the NFL to its knees with a huge jury award, forcing a merger that would include his Generals. He was trying to turn his $5 million investment in the Generals into an NFL franchise, which were then valued at close to $100 million. If he had been successful, the Generals would be worth over $3 billion today.
The court result was humiliating. When the jury read the verdict after a trial that took months, it found the NFL guilty of the most serious of the nine charges: Operating as a monopoly. The league never denied it was a monopoly but had argued the USFL’s wounds were self-inflicted.
The future President was seated in Room 318 in U.S. District Court on judgment day on July 29, 1986. His eyes got big when the guilty verdict was read and he was already making plans to build a stadium in Manhattan for the Generals to compete with the Giants and Jets in New Jersey. The NFL was extremely nervous. Trump had a big smile on his face until the jury foreman announced it was awarding the USFL damages of just $1. Trebled under anti-trust law, it became $3.
Trump stood up, walked to the back of the courtroom and departed before hearing the NFL was found not guilty on the other eight counts. Trump’s plan had backfired. He killed the USFL. Instead of remaining in the spring as it should have, the league folded.
“Do you want me to pay you now?” NFL attorney Frank Rotham said to USFL attorney Harvey Myerson as he pulled out his wallet on the way out Room 318.
Trump previously had tried to buy the Baltimore Colts in 1982 but said the price was too high. He was interested in the Patriots in 1988 but passed because the $104 million in debt he would have had to absorb was a deal-breaker.
If Trump had submitted an accepted offer for the Patriots in 1988 or the Bills in 2014, there’s a good chance he would not have received the required 75% approval by NFL owners because even though many of them did not own their teams in 1986, they knew the misery he caused the NFL when he tried to force his way into their select club through the courts.
Despite Trump’s history with the NFL, nine of the league’s owners, including his close friend, New England’s Robert Kraft, contributed a total of over $7 million to his campaign or inauguration. Kraft said he was “deeply disappointed” by Trump’s comments last Friday night in Alabama.
That’s when Trump said: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects the flag, to say, “Get that son of a b—h off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!”
He hasn’t let up. A few of his tweets this week:
–“If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!”
–NFL attendance and ratings are WAY DOWN. Boring games yes, but many stay away because they love our country. League should back U.S.”
–“The NFL has all sorts of rules and regulations. The only way out for them is to set a rule that you can’t kneel during our National Anthem!”
Trump has a vendetta against the NFL because of past run-ins. That may be influencing the venom now coming out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
PB/TK – Told ya so last week. Don’t ya remember when asked about Kaepernick taking a knee for the 2016 campaign, then candidate Trump said “he didn’t like it but Kaepernick has the absolute right to do so,” so what changed? POWER!
Yep, put an egomaniac-in-charge and old feelings begin to brew. Last week started with the Golden State Warriors saying they wouldn’t attend the (Reagan) traditional White House picture day and ended at a campaign rally with POTUS Donnie spouting off about anything to get the crowd jumping.
I just can’t wait for the next feud… Hey Vinnie Mac pick up your phone
