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Martha Ford: "We do not support those comments or opinions."

Martha Ford, the 92-year-old owner of the Detroit Lions, joined the chorus of people criticizing President Donald Trump's harsh comments  that suggest players should stand for the national anthem or be fired.

In a statement on the Lions' site Sunday, she says: 

Our game has long provided a powerful platform for dialogue and positive change in many communities throughout our nation.

Thanks primarily to our players, the NFL also has been a unifying force in our country and impactful change has and hopefully will continue to be the result of peaceful expression, done so in order to highlight social injustices of all kind.

Negative and disrespectful comments suggesting otherwise are contrary to the founding principles of our country, and we do not support those comments or opinions.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Saturday responded similarly to Trump's remarks, saying in a statement:

The NFL and our players are at our best when we help create a sense of unity in our country and our culture. There is no better example than the amazing response from our clubs and players to the terrible natural disasters we've experienced over the last month.

Divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our players, and a failure to understand the overwhelming force for good our clubs and players represent in our communities.

Earlier, a Detroit Lions tight end tweeted this reaction: