The White House has been accused of acting inappropriately when it comes to the National Football League.
The White House is facing heat after it released a video this month combining NFL highlights with highlights of the strikes in Iran. Former NFL player Ryan Clark, who works as an analyst for ESPN, was disgusted by the move.
"I'm disappointed because, for one, to have ‘Tropic Thunder' and football highlights on a video about war is one of the more insensitive things that I've ever seen. There are families here in our country whose loved ones have decided to give their life to fight for our rights and our freedoms, who don't see war as a sport. War doesn't deserve a highlight film, for ‘Tropic Thunder' to be a part of it. War is not a comedy," Clark said on his "Pivot" podcast last week.
"And for these people to be risking their lives, not for our safety as much as for someone else's agenda, for our regime to be as unserious, as unprofessional, as laughable, and as illegitimate as our leadership is right now, is embarrassing."
President Trump waves. Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images © Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
But it's not just Clark speaking out.
More than 15,000 people have signed a petition, through ThruSports, urging the NFL to take serious action.
Petition started calling for NFL to take action
The petition has more than 15,000 signatures as of Monday morning.
"This week, the White House released a video that combined NFL highlight footage with images of U.S. airstrikes in Iran. The video features AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" and juxtaposes big football tackles with U.S. missiles hitting Iran. This comes as we're learning that it was likely a U.S. bomb that flattened an elementary school in Iran, killing at least 175 people, mostly children. The NFL should want no part of this deadly war," the petition reads.
"The NFL is well known for aggressively protecting its intellectual property and game footage from unauthorized use. So far, the league has not taken legal action or publicly addressed the video.
"Football is a sport-not a tool for glorifying war and death.
"The NFL needs to demand that the White House take down this video and not use any of its footage for war propaganda."
You can view the full petition here.
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