Mike Ditka weighs in on racial injustice: 'There has been no oppression in the last 100 years'

Former NFL star and Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka again criticized league players protesting during the National Anthem on Monday night, slamming the notion of racial oppression in America.

Ditka had previously criticized those kneeling on the field during the National Anthem, saying they should "just play football," but took his commentary a step further during an appearance on a Monday Night Football pregame show.

"All of a sudden, it’s become a big deal now, about oppression," Ditka told Jim Gray on Westwood One’s pregame show. "There has been no oppression in the last 100 years that I know of. Now maybe I’m not watching it as carefully as other people."

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Ditka's remark would mean he is including all American history dating back to 1917, when the U.S. was in throws of World War I and Woodrow Wilson was president. Dating back to 1917, lynchings of black people living in southern U.S. states and later Jim Crow laws were common systems of oppression for African Americans. The pivotal Civil Rights Act abolished Jim Crow laws and furthered the U.S. commitment to equality, but that did not occur until 1964.

The comment comes as Trump continued to blast the league on Tuesday morning, suggesting the NFL be held to more strict tax law standards.