San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich launched into a full bore tirade against President Trump at Spurs' Media Day today, saying 'our country is an embarrassment to the world' due to Trump's comments denouncing as 'SOB's' athletes who kneel during the National Anthem,News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Popovich pulled no punches in talking about the President.
"The childishness, the gratuitous fear mongering and race baiting has become so consistent that we almost expect it, the bar has been lowered so far" he said, adding 'out country is an embarrassment to the world,' and he referred to Trump's comments demanding that NFL players be 'fired' for kneeling during the National Anthem to protest what they see as racial injustice is 'delusional.
"I had no idea that I lived in a country where the President would say something like that," Popovich, who is a graduate of the Air Force Academy, said of Trump's comments.
The coach also had harsh words for Trump's supporters.
"They probably had good intentions voting for Trump, they wanted change and they were hurting," he said. "But is this really what they were voting for? I'm not totally naive, but I think these people have been enabled by an example we have all been given, and you have seen it in Charlottesville and on and on. That is not a surprise."
As far as whether Spurs players will kneel, link arms, or take any other action when the National Anthem is played before Spurs games, Popovich said that is up to them, and whatever they choose will be supported by the team, unless it is 'exceptionally egregious.'
"Each one of them has the right and the ability to say what they want to say and act the way they want to act," Popovich said. "They have our full support."