I think Trump could defuse this from his end, by tweeting something like “As far as I’m concerned, if the owners don’t mind, players are free to protest peacefully, so long as our anthem and flag are not disrespected. Good luck with revenues!”
If asked if he is encouraging a fan boycott, he can say “No, I’m just making a business observation.”
I don’t think he needs to defuse this, he has nothing to back off from. The players were wrong for disrespecting this country, the owners are wrong for allowing it. He didn’t order them shot or arrested- he just said they should be fired. That clearl; wasn’t an order just his opinion, and one that is shared by many, many people.
They picked this to be a battle when they didn’t have to respond at all. They could have kept doing what they were doing. The owners were not firing those disrespecting the country so why the need for other players to “show solidarity” it is all BS.
I think it should just play out...this is but a small skirmish in taking back our country and I don’t think Trump should back off.