Ex-NFL star at White House event backs league’s anthem policy

Former NFL player Herschel Walker told ITK on Wednesday that he supports the NFL’s new policy on standing during the national anthem.

“My feeling on the anthem is I felt they should have been standing at the beginning,” said Walker, the new co-chair of President Trump’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.

Walker made the remarks at a field day on the White House South Lawn hosted by the council to promote a new initiative to encourage youth participation in sports.

Walker was joined by other high-profile athletes and members of the council, including Lou Ferrigno of “Incredible Hulk” fame, former Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera and Olympic gold-medal winning volleyball player Misty May-Treanor.

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Hundreds of young people from around the country played soccer, golf, flag football, baseball and volleyball with the athletes.

They were joined by President Trump, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, who is also a White House adviser.

Sanders, looking perfectly at home, tossed a football back and forth with a young boy before the event began. Ivanka tossed a football to Walker after he showed her how to grip it.

Trump kicked off the event with remarks about the benefits of playing sports. He said children who play sports have better social skills.

“Do I have social skills?” he joked. “I don’t know. I have social media, that’s for sure.”

Children who play sports have “40 percent higher test scores,” he continued, reading from his notes. Trump paused and looked up.

“That one I’ve never heard,” he said.

The president also joked with the athletes as he introduced them.

“Does winning ever get boring to you, Mariano?” he asked Rivera, who is a 13-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion.

“Nope,” the Yankee great replied.

At the end of his speech, Trump told the children in attendance that they were sitting on “very, very valuable grass.”

He then went around to each of the sports stations but only participated in golf.