It appears NFL leadership has gotten its shit together over the whole National Anthem kneeling thing – as Dow Jones reports team owners are considering a rule change which would require players to stand during the national anthem, while Commissioner Roger Goodell has had a change of heart – declaring that “everyone should stand for the national anthem.”
The Hill reports:
Goodell said the controversy over NFL players kneeling in protest during the anthem “is threatening to erode the unifying power of our game, and is now dividing us, and our players, from many fans across the country.”
“Like many of our fans we believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem. It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us,” Goodell added in his statement.
“We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues. The controversy over the anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players.”
NEW: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to team leaders: "We believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem" https://t.co/KEPUJR8Avx pic.twitter.com/cEGFqycB5B
— ABC News (@ABC) October 10, 2017
This is in stark contrast to Goodell’s Sept 23rd statement, chastising President Trump’s condemnation of players refusing to stand:
“The NFL and our players are at our best when we help create a sense of unity in our country and our culture… Divisive comments like these demonstrate an unfortunate lack of respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our players.“
Maybe Goodell and the team owners have some sort of new incentive to keep their players in line?
Why is the NFL getting massive tax breaks while at the same time disrespecting our Anthem, Flag and Country? Change tax law!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 10, 2017
Meanwhile, Deadspin reports that a rule change sometime in the last three years allows the NFL to technically fine or suspend players for not standing during the anthem.
.@mortreport referencing @NFL game operations manual policy for national anthem on Monday Countdown. Here it is in full: pic.twitter.com/ifSMYuvOV9
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) October 9, 2017
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