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Al Sharpton, Opinion contributor Published 2:52 p.m. ET Oct. 11, 2017 | Updated 3:48 p.m. ET Oct. 11, 2017

Reverend Al Sharpton spoke with media on Tuesday and asked if ESPN suspended Jemele Hill due to pressure from President Trump's administration. USA TODAY Sports

ESPN host Jemele Hill(Photo: Invision via AP)

On Monday, ESPN took the extreme measure of suspending host Jemele Hill for two weeks.Her crime?Exercising her freedom of speech to make an analysis. While employers may have the right to dictate how their employees behave in the workplace and on social media, it is clear that ESPN caved in to pressure pressure that came from the top.

Despite some inaccurate newsreports, Hill wasnt calling for a direct boycott; she was expanding the conversation and thereby doing her job.She gave her analysis of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his demand that players must stand for the national anthem.She said players could be demonized for selling out, or lose their job if they didnt comply, and that this placed an undue burden on them.She called on more accountability from fans and others. She advanced the conversation.

More: Dear Michigan state police director, taking a knee isn't the problem. You are.

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In a subsequent tweet, Hill specifically said,Just so we're clear: I'm not advocating a(n) NFL boycott. But an unfair burden has been put on players in Dallas & Miami w/ anthem directives.

She is absolutely correct. Jones or anyone else in the NFL trying to force players to stand is bad enough, but ESPN suspending its employee for even discussing the issue takes things to another dangerous level. What specific, established social media policy did Hill violate? Or is ESPN just making thingsup as it goes along and doing President Trump'sbidding?

Last month, the White House called Hill's comments "outrageous" and a "fireable offense" after she referred to the president as a white supremacist. Trump demanded an apology, tweeting: "ESPN is paying a really big price for its politics (and bad programming). People are dumping it in RECORD numbers. Apologize for untruth!" Early Tuesday, the presidenttweeted:With Jemele Hill at the mike, it is no wonder ESPN ratings have 'tanked,'in fact, tanked so badly it is the talk of the industry!

Trump has repeatedly put direct pressure on both ESPN andthe NFL to force their players to stand for the anthem and shifted attention from their true purpose of kneeling in the first place, which was to highlight police brutality and racism. Just Wednesday morning he tweeted: "It is about time that Roger Goodell of the NFL is finally demanding that all players STAND for our great National Anthem-RESPECT OUR COUNTRY."

The NFL responded that "commentary this morningabout the commissioner's position isnot accurate."Even so,we have yet to see what the league will do going forward.

Its important to note that the Dallas Cowboys owner took a kneehimself two weeks ago, saying that it was for unity.Were dealing with plantation mentality here.Jones is basically saying,"Its all right if I write the script, but you cant do the same because I own you."

This was never about the flagor the Pledge of Allegiance; it was about athletes raising their voices to say police brutality and racism are very real, and we must tackle these challenges.But Trump and others have turned this into a flag and pledge issue,so lets talk about it.

More: For ESPN and Jemele Hill, mixing politics and sports is bad business

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It's maddening that the president can call for a boycott, or call players a "son of a b----," or call for private citizens to be fired, or tweet numerous things about the NFL, ESPN, Hill andathletes,and there are no consequences. But the moment a black woman speaks on the issue she is silenced.

We are coming close to crossing the line of taking constitutional rights of free speech away from people. Any corporation can claim that itspolicy to suspend or fire an employee if it fears retribution from the highest office in the land. All those conservatives who champion free speech should be just as outraged as I am.This is bigger than Hill, for it impacts all of us and our ability to express ourselves. Hill has the right to tell people that they ought to let advertisers know how they feel since they are the consumers. While she didn't call for a direct boycott, it's not off the table for us in the civil rights community.

This is also bigger than ESPN and the NFL, for this is about the continued institutional racism and police brutality that plaguesociety on a daily basis. As much as the president and others mighttry to distract from this, we will not lose focus. Many of us have fought against these injustices for years, and we will continue to do so as we encourage others to speak out whether on their networks, on social media or on the field taking a knee.

The Rev. Al Sharpton is thepresident of the National Action Network. Follow him on Twitter:@TheRevAl

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