Anthem fallout will take a while to settle

With no deadlines to meet and a monthlong summer break coming up, NFL teams were in no hurry Thursday to formulate a policy on demonstrations during the national anthem. One day after the league’s team owners mandated players must stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner” — they now have the option of remaining in the locker room while the song plays — few of the 32 teams had done more than preliminary work on the matter. The NFL gave teams the option of developing their own workplace rules, which many players interpreted as a backhanded way of subjecting them to fines, suspensions or loss of jobs should they carry on with the protests. For now, other than New York Jets owner Christopher Johnson’s decision to pay any fines doled out by the league without passing punishment to the players, each franchise’s approach is uncertain. After all, once mandatory minicamps end in mid-June, teams don’t get together again until training camps open in late July. The opening exhibition — the first time the anthem would be played before an NFL contest — is Aug. 2, when Baltimore and Chicago face off in the Hall of Fame preseason game. “I’m sure it’s something that will be addressed, by the players and by the coaches, collectively,” Detroit Lions receiver Golden Tate said Thursday. “But right now, we don’t play a game until August, and that’s when it’s going to be applicable in football stadiums. So we’ve got time to kind of brainstorm some ideas on how we could stand for justice and what we can do.”

› LEXINGTON, Ky. — University of Kentucky junior safety Marcus Walker has been charged with trafficking cocaine and marijuana after a police search of an off-campus apartment. Lexington police arrested Walker, 21, and Tavon Wells, 23, early Thursday morning after finding at least five pounds of marijuana and four grams of cocaine in a search of the residence. The arrest citation stated a large amount of cash and a cash counter were found in the search. Walker, from Lake Wales, Florida, is also charged with possessing drug paraphernalia. Walker pleaded not guilty Thursday in Fayette District Court and is being held on a $1,000 surety bond in the county jail. Kentucky athletic department spokesman Tony Neely said the team is aware of Walker’s arrest and gathering more information. The 6-foot-1, 208-pound Walker had five tackles in 12 games last season.