For the record: Responding to Walker's letter to the NFL

State Rep. Melissa Sargent, D-Madison, released the following statement on Gov. Scott Walker’s letter to National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL Players Association executive director, DeMaurice Smith, asking the NFL to stop protesting the during the national anthem to instead focus on domestic violence.

“Well, after seven years in office, I’m glad Scott Walker finally woke up this morning and realized domestic violence in the NFL is a problem.

"It’s a shame Walker hasn’t ever spoken up when there’s been literal video evidence of brutal physical assaults, or when a player has been repeatedly accused of sexual assault.

"That fact alone is indicative that this is nothing more than another political stunt for Walker to feel relevant.

"Scott Walker might not be able to walk and chew gum at the same time, but the rest of us can and should be able to do both. Dialogues about racism and domestic violence are not mutually exclusive, and we shouldn’t have to choose between tackling misogyny or domestic violence and systemic racism."

State Rep. David Bowen, D-Milwaukee:

“As much as Gov. Walker, who had little to say when Nazis marched and murdered in Charlottesville, would like to tell people of color what they can say and when, the First Amendment doesn’t make an exception for unpopular governors trying to imitate Donald Trump.

"Patriotic players can kneel to shed a light on systemic racial injustice and highlight Domestic Violence Month at the same time. Even the governor proved he can focus on two priorities at once when he signed off on a $3 billion giveaway to a foreign corporation days before approving tax hikes on working Wisconsin families.”