NFL TAKES ON ANTHEM PROTESTERS
NFL owners approved a new policy Wednesday aimed at quelling the firestorm over national anthem protests sparked by Colin Kaepernick and polarized by President Trump, permitting players to stay in the locker room during the “The Star-Spangled Banner” but requiring them to stand if they come to the field. Commissioner Roger Goodell said the change was approved unanimously by the owners at their spring meeting in Atlanta, but even that was up for debate. The head of the San Francisco 49ers - Kaepernick’s former team - said his franchise abstained from the vote. CEO Jed York said he wasn’t comfortable with a process that didn’t directly involve the players. “I want to work with my team to make sure everything we do is about promoting the right types of social justice reform and getting to a better America,” York said.
The NFL Players Association said it wasn’t consulted about the new policy and would challenge any changes that violate
the collective bargaining agreement.
Clearly, Goodell and most owners just want to put the issue behind them.
“We want people to be respectful of the national anthem. We want people to stand,” the commissioner said. “We’ve been very sensitive on making sure that we give players choices, but we do believe that moment is an important moment and one that we are going to focus on.”
In the surest sign that players were not part of the discussions, any violations of the policy would result in fines against the team - not the players. That could be a way to avoid legal challenges from the players’ union, since fines against a team would not be subject to collective bargaining.
The league did say teams could impose their own workplace rules for those who fail to show respect for the flag and anthem, but didn’t say what those policies might be. Because the new policy is a change in the terms and conditions of employment that was not collectively bargained, any attempts to fine individual players who continue to protest in public would surely be opposed by the union.
The owners spent several hours addressing the contentious issue - which made it all the way to the White House. Kaepernick, the former 49ers quarterback, began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016, a quiet but powerful protest against police brutality and racial inequities in the justice system.
Other players took up the cause, and the gesture carried on during the 2017 season even after Kaepernick left the 49ers and failed to land a job with another team.
Trump turned the debate into a campaign issue, saying the NFL should fire any player who takes a knee during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The NFL hasn’t gone that far, but Kaepernick has yet to land another job and one of his former teammates and fellow protesters, safety Eric Reid, is also out of work.
Both players have filed collusion grievances against the NFL.
While the owners touted the change as a compromise that everyone should get behind, the union expressed immediate skepticism.
York said he intended to meet with his players to discuss the change.