Rep. Mo Brooks: We should end federal government support to NFL

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) on Tuesday called for an end to all federal government support of the NFL amid controversy over players taking a knee in protest during the national anthem.

“I believe we ought to terminate all federal government support of the NFL,” Brooks told Breitbart News.

“That would include the termination of any and all advertising that is done on behalf of the federal government — military and nonmilitary — to the extent we do any.”

{mosads}”The same thing with any other professional sport that insults our country and our flag and our anthem as the NFL has done,” he added.

The NFL reportedly receives billions of dollars in subsidies from local taxpayers and governments, CNN reported in 2015. 

And a 2015 report from NJ.com revealed that more than a dozen NFL teams received money from the Defense Department between 2011 and 2014 in exchange for promoting the military during games and other forms of advertisement.

The comments come after President Trump last week spurred controversy after he attacked NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, a practice that began last year to protest police brutality and racial inequity in the U.S.

Trump has since doubled down on his attacks, calling for the NFL to put in place a rule banning players from kneeling during the national anthem.

Players and coaches across the country have spoken out against Trump’s comments. Many NFL players have since knelt or locked arms during the national anthem in a show of defiance.