YouTube Mike Shanahan at a Trump Rally in 2016
Former NFL coach Mike Shanahan will be cheering on his son Kyle Shanahan, head coach of the San Francisco 49ers on Super Bowl Sunday, and if President Donald Trump decides to attend, he may have an already reserved seat next to Kyle’s parents at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
The White House has not confirmed whether or not Trump will attend Super Bowl 54, but he will be in the area. CBS Miami reported that Trump arrived at Palm Beach International Airport on Friday evening around 6:35 p.m., and headed to Mar-a-Lago, which is only 60 miles away from the stadium. Trump is scheduled to stay in town through Sunday.
Social media went nuts over President George W. Bush sitting next to TV host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia, during a Cowboys game earlier this season, and if the President joins Shanahan and his wife Peggy in their VIP suite, there will be a huge focus shift from gameplay on the field to figuring out which team Trump is cheering for to win, and if he sits with the Shanahan family: Why?
Trump when asked who he wants to win the Super Bowl: “Well, I love them both, let’s just say. But I will tell you, some two very interesting teams and interesting players, some really great players. And it’s going to be hopefully a great Super Bowl.”
The answer would be simple. Shanahan, a longtime GOP supporter, rallied for President Bush and attended both his inaugurations. The former Denver Broncos coach is also a huge supporter of Donald Trump.
Shanahan Spoke At Numerous Rallies During Trump’s 2016 Presidential Campaign
Former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan speaks at Trump rally. #copolitics
In June 2016, along with MillerCoors executive Peter Coors, Shanahan hosted a fundraiser at his Colorado home that reportedly cost each couple $10,000 to attend and a total of $50,000 to also get a photo-op and meeting with Trump.
At Trump’s rally in October 2016, which took place in Loveland, Colorado, Shanahan promoted Trump saying, ““We need leadership for our country. We need leadership for our kids.”
In November 2016, Shanahan described Trump as a “very special guy, proven business leader” and an overall, “great person.”
“I know all about things getting screwed up in Washington,” Shanahan jokes. Then, abruptly, he is far away. “I have known great suffering.”
“He doesn’t owe anybody anything,” Shanahan said. “He can go out there and pick the best people to do the best job, and he doesn’t owe anybody. You know, it’s fun for me to call somebody a great friend, and you know he’s a great person because you’ve been around him and you see what he can do with people that do nothing for him in return. And I can tell you: that’s very special. Let’s make him the next president of the United States. Let’s go get ’em.”
When Trump took to the podium to thank him for his introduction, it seemed that he couldn’t remember Shanahan’s name. Trump referred to him merely “coach” numerous times before saying that he’s a big fan of (former Bronco’s quarterback) John Elway, and beginning his speech.
Kyle Shanahan Is Less Vocal About Politics, But Publicly Criticized Trump In 2017
In an interview with SB Niners Nation, Shanahan had some disparaging words after Trump ripped NFL players kneeling in protest of the national anthem, a movement started by 49ers former quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
During a speech in Alabama supporting Republican senator Luther Strange, the President said, “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. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!'”
“You know, some owner is going to do that. He’s going to say, ‘That guy that disrespects our flag, he’s fired.’ And that owner, they don’t know it [but] they’ll be the most popular person in this country.
Shanahan, who was in his first year as head coach of the 49ers said in response: “I was pretty bothered by it. I think the same way most people were… But the most bothersome thing, you expect [someone] in that position to be the best leader possible and when I think of being a leader, I think of bringing people together. All I know is the quotes I read and when I read those quotes, I think that’s the opposite of what you’re expecting.”
ESPNMike and Kyle Shanahan
While his father is long retired and has since made his political stance clear, Shanahan would love further separation between sports and politics. But Trump has made it difficult for him to do that.
“You don’t want a bunch of politics in sports,” Shanahan said. “It’s a way to get away from it… And then you go to the stuff with the flag, which some people associate with that, some people don’t… I think that’s kind of the time that you do need to address it with the whole team because I think the whole NFL felt like we were all called out.”
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