All eyes are on the NFL today, Super Bowl Sunday. What better time for President Donald Trump to undercut their celebration?
"It's very, it's a very tough question. It's a very good question," Trump acknowledged. "If he wanted to? Yes. Would I steer him that way? No, I wouldn't."
The stance has become a bipartisan issue, as his predecessor in the White House also said that he would not let his hypothetical son play football.
"I'm a big football fan, but I have to tell you, if I had a son, I'd have to think long and hard before I let him play football," President Barack Obama said in the leadup to Super Bowl XLVII. "I would not let my son play pro football."
Trump's reasoning was similar: player safety is hard to guarantee, even with the best equipment.
"I just don't like the reports that I see coming out having to do with football—I mean, it's a dangerous sport," Trump said. "It's really tough. I thought the equipment would get better, and it has. The helmets have gotten far better but it hasn't solved the problem.
"I hate to say it because I love to watch football. I think the NFL is a great product, but I really think that as far as my son- well I've heard NFL players saying they wouldn't let their sons play football. So. It's not totally unique, but I would have a hard time with it."
This is not Trump's first run-in with the NFL, as he has a long history there. He was involved with the NFL vs. USFL rivalry back in the day. He put in a non-winning bid to buy the Buffalo Bills before running for President. He ruffled feathers by politicizing the player protests during the National Anthem in 2016 and 2017.
This is just the latest chapter in the saga, but it could be the one that hurts the NFL the worst.
As Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports points out, football youth league participation is dropping in nearly every state across the country. The NFL and NCAA have a long time to go before feeling the pain, but the day will come when talented athletes stop pursuing football for a brighter future in basketball, baseball, lacrosse or more. Even Trump's son, Barron, is part of that movement.
"He actually plays a lot of soccer. He's liking soccer," Trump told Brennan. "And a lot of people, including me, thought soccer would probably never make it in this country, but it really is moving forward rapidly."