NFL gets tough on anthem rebels

ANTHONY JOSHUA is jetting around the US as fans await an announcement on a fight with Deontay Wilder. The British WBO, IBF and WBA title holder arrived in LA on Tuesday with members of his entourage. Alongside a photo posted on Instagram showing manager Freddie Cunningham, PR man Andy Bell and others boarding a private jet, Joshua commented ‘work work work’. However, Cunningham suggested the group’s trip was for recreational purposes. THE NFL has moved to end on-field protests during the US national anthem by introducing a new rule which states players must either stand on the sidelines or remain in the locker room. The rule change was enacted by a vote of team owners during the Spring League Meeting yesterday. It states that ‘a club will be fined by the League if its personnel are on the field and do not stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem’, and that commissioner Roger Goodell ‘will impose appropriate discipline on league personnel who do not stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem’. LEWIS HAMILTON has welcomed the return of grid girls for the Monaco Grand Prix. Organisers of the Monte Carlo race are set to defy Formula One’s rulers by employing models before Sunday’s race. Liberty Media abolished the longstanding F1 tradition at the beginning of the year. Liberty has since rolled out its grid kids scheme, with 20 kids already involved in the junior ranks of motorsport lining up in front of the drivers prior to the race start.