The NFL players’ union has launched a campaign against President Donald Trump’s tweets targeting their players.
The union on Tuesday sent out an email to all teams with a list of the players’ demands for Trump’s tweet, which came on the same day as a new book about Trump was released.
The team that’s on the receiving end of the tweet: Jacksonville Jaguars.
The NFLPA is urging its players to stand against Trump’s threats to sue them for any comments he makes about their athletes.
In a statement to Bleacherreport, the union said that “the President’s tweet is the most blatant attack on our players and on our union since the players voted to unionize in 2012.
These tweets demonstrate that he is intent on using our players as scapegoats to delegitimize our efforts to unionise.”
It continues: “The President’s attacks on our NFL players and our players’ efforts to bring about fair and equal treatment for all NFL players will not go unanswered.
His baseless and false claim that we have an illegal union is simply wrong.
We will not back down from the fight against the President.”
The president’s threats against the NFL are unprecedented and have been repeatedly debunked by the league, which says Trump has made up the charges to intimidate its players and to deflect criticism from the fact that they support unionizing.
Trump has tweeted about the players twice in the past week.
The first was on Saturday, after a woman accused him of sexual harassment.
Trump, responding to the claim, said the accuser was a “fraud” and said he would release her from the contract.
The second tweet came on Monday, after the president suggested he might not be happy with his relationship with the NFL if he doesn’t get more concessions from the league.
In his latest tweet, Trump again lashed out at the NFL.
“The NFL and their owners want to be paid $1 billion more than they are under their contracts.
They have to pay a lot of money for the privilege,” Trump said.
“The NFL should be ashamed of itself.”
The NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.