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Texas governor claims he wasn't serious about bill forcing players to stand for anthem

Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says a comment he made about creating a bill to force NFL players to stand and put their hands on their hearts during the national anthem was a joke.

Abbott clashed with the NFL after the league said Texas' "bathroom bill" targeting transgender people could affect the state's future chances of hosting events like the Super Bowl. The governor warned the NFL was "walking on thin ice" by trying to dictate policy.

In an appearance on Fox News on Thursday, Abbott suggested Texans could create a national anthem bill as a response.

"The NFL has coddled its players who refused to stand for the national anthem. ... Imagine this, if the NFL decides to come down on the state of Texas, I might just pass a bill here in the state of Texas mandating that all NFL players have to stand and put their hand on the heart when the national anthem is played." said Abbott, according to Brandi Grissom of The Dallas Morning News.

"If the NFL really wants to solve this problem about bathrooms for people who are transgender, the NFL should impose on all of its teams to put their own bathrooms into their stadiums to accommodate those with transgenders, as opposed to trying to dictate to states what laws they must comply with."

Abbott's spokesman John Wittman said the governor was speaking in jest to highlight the NFL's failings.

"It was intentional hyperbole to make a point: demonstrating the NFL's own shortcoming of how they are disconnecting with their fan base by allowing players to disrespect the U.S. flag," Wittman said.

Several constitutional experts told Grissom that any such bills would be unconstitutional.

Colin Kaepernick was the first NFL player to protest the anthem, first sitting and then opting to kneel. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback, whose protest was joined by numerous players around the league, said he's doing so due to racial inequality and police brutality in the U.S.

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