Trump NFL row: Defiance after US president urges boycott - BBC News
Players kneel in protest during the US anthem as the president's remarks are strongly condemned.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Players in the National Football League (NFL) have taken part in a wave of protests at US President Donald Trump's "offensive" and "divisive" comments.

In a growing row with the sports world, Mr Trump insisted that players who failed to stand during the national anthem should be fired or suspended.

Fans in many stadiums booed their own teams as players or entire teams knelt or linked arms in response.

Sunday's protests are the largest of their kind since they began last year.

Players have been protesting at racial injustice and perceived police violence.

Warning: This article contains language some readers may find offensive.

Mr Trump's calls to fire players taking part in such protests were supported by many, but have proved deeply divisive.

To a crowd of cheering supporters on Friday, Mr Trump asked: "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now... he is fired'?"

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

He was referring to a widespread protest movement in the sport started by player Colin Kaepernick, who began sitting or kneeling during the anthem last year in protest against police brutality and the treatment of black Americans.

Sports players responded with widespread protest action during the weekend's sporting action.

On Saturday night, the Oakland Athletics' Bruce Maxwell became the first Major League Baseball player to kneel in protest during the anthem.

Buffalo Bills players kneel during the national anthem ahead of a game against the Denver Broncos in New York

Jacksonville Jaguars players kneel during the US anthem before a match in London

The NFL itself has criticised Mr Trump's remarks, with commissioner Roger Goodell saying "divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect".

Eric Winston, president of the NFL Players' Association, said Mr Trump's comments were "a slap in the face to the civil rights heroes of the past and present".

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. View original content on Twitter The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Skip twitter post by Ian Rapoport This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Mr Trump is also facing criticism after withdrawing an invitation to the White House to basketball champions the Golden State Warriors after one player, Stephen Curry, said he did not want to attend.

Curry - NBA's top performer in 2015 - said he wanted to show that he and other players did not stand for "the things that he's said and the things that he hasn't said in the right times".

"Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team," Mr Trump tweeted afterwards. "Stephen Curry is hesitating, therefore invitation is withdrawn!"

The Golden State Warriors said the team had clearly understood "that we are not invited" to the White House but would visit Washington DC on its own "to celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion".

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.