The Rams/49ers game on Thursday had 56K paying customers. Chargers played at home in front of 25K. The Raiders home stadium is maybe 3/4ths filled?  The Browns? The Bungles? Redskins home opener was down 15% per ESPN. The die-hard Packers, Cowboys, Broncos, and Patriots fans will be there no matter what. NFL players could join ISIS, en masse, and Denverites would still fawn over them. Fortune magazine article on 9/20/17 "NFL ratings have fallen significantly across all providers over the past seasons and so far 2017 is not looking any better." The NFL can whistle in the graveyard but both you and I know the players are killing the model. 

MLB and NHL are both looking at adding franchises. Why? Because the NFL is dying a very public death due to flagging attendance and lost viewership. Alienating potential customers by insulting them? Doesn't take a Harvard MBA to figure out the income trajectory. See player protests in MLB, NHL, MLS, or NBA?