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Donald Trump doesn't want to compete with the NFL

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to a crowd of supporters on July 27, 2016 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Trump spoke at the Lackawanna College Student Union Gymnasium.

After finding out the dates of debates in which Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were set to discuss their platforms and important issues, Trump called the schedule "unacceptable."

He also said that the football league sided with him about the debate schedule in a letter. 

"I'll tell you what I don't like. It's against two NFL games," he said. "I got a letter from the NFL saying, 'This is ridiculous.'"

A spokesman for the NFL said the league sent no such letter.

"While we'd obviously wish the debate commission could find another night, we did not send a letter to Trump," the spokesman said.

 

 

The first presidential debate, scheduled for September 26, will air during a "Monday Night Football" game featuring the Falcons vs. the Saintson.

The second debate, slated for October 9, will overlap a "Sunday Night Football" game featuring the Giants vs. the Packers.

The final debate is to take place on Wednesday, October 19.

"I don't think we should be against the NFL ... I don't know how the dates were picked. I don't know why those particular dates," Trump told ABC.

"It's unfortunate that millions of voters will be disenfranchised by these chosen dates," a Trump aide said, according to CNN.

The Commission on Presidential Debates is an independent, nonpartisan organization that serves as the debate sponsor and sets the dates of the debates. The commission said the sites and dates for the 2016 debates were announced in September 2015.

Trump posted a message on Twitter, claiming Hillary Clintons and Democrats "are trying to rig" the debates.

"The CPD did not consult with any political parties or campaigns in making these decisions," the group said.

"You look at the debates being on major NFL nights and you wonder why people are upset about that? This was a dumb idea and should be revisited," said Republican Natoinal Commitee chief strategist Sean Spicer.

According to commission officials, sporting events, religious holidays, and other events and factors make scheduling presidential debates difficult. The group aims to pick different days of the week to accommodate conflicts.

In the fall -- when the debates are always held -- NFL games are played on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. Fridays and Saturdays are generally ruled out because TV viewing is lower on weekend evenings.

The CPD said they worked "more than 18 months to to identify religious and federal holidays, baseball league playoff games, NFL games, and other events," but it was "impossible to avoid all sporting events."

"(There) have been nights on which debates and games occurred in most election cycles," officials said. "A debate has never been rescheduled as a result."

The debate organizers also pointed out that while football fans value watching games live, debates are easy to find on on-demand platforms.