Commission: Presidential Debate Schedule Cannot Revolve Around NFL
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Following complaints by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump about conflicts between the upcoming debates and NFL football games, the Commission on Presidential Debates said in a statement Sunday that its schedule cannot revolve around the NFL.
Two of the three debates scheduled in September and October will be televised during NFL games.
The Commission on Presidential Debates said it "started working more than 18 months ago to identify religious and federal holidays, baseball league playoff games, NFL games, and other events in order to select the best nights for the 2016 debates."
But in scheduling debates, some conflict with sporting event schedules is inevitable, the commission said.
"It is impossible to avoid all sporting events, and there have been nights on which debates and games occurred in most election cycles," the commission said. "A debate has never been rescheduled as a result."
The commission noted that in a four-year period, there are four general election debates – three for presidential candidates and one for vice presidential candidates. In the same period, there are about 1,000 NFL football games.
On Saturday, Trump said he does not like going up against NFL games when he debates Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton this fall. The billionaire businessman also says that the football league has complained to him about the debate schedule in a letter.
An NFL spokesman says the football league didn't send a letter to Trump as he claims.
@alexweprin While we'd obviously wish the Debate Commission could find another night, we did not send a letter to Mr Trump.
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) July 30, 2016
The commission said Saturday night that it "did not consult with any political parties or campaigns in making these decisions.''
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