Goodell prefers players to stand
NFL COMMISSIONER Roger Goodell is apparently done dancing around the issue.
Despite taking a diplomatic tone in recent weeks in discussing NFL anthem protests, on Wednesday he again said he prefers players to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner” but also believes football fans don’t want to be preached to about social issues.
“People come to our stadiums to be entertained and have fun, not to be protested to,” Goodell said at Bloomberg’s The Year Ahead Summit, via SB Nation.
To date, Goodell has toed the line and the NFL has not made standing for the national anthem a rule. On the other hand, the NBA mandates all players stand for the anthem. While Goodell has been fairly neutral on policing the issue, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said any players on his team who don’t stand will be benched. 49ers owner Jed York has publicly supported the protests.
“I think that’s one of the things I think when we have a platform the way we do people seek to find that division and I think that’s something we try to resist,” Goodell said. “And in this case I’ve been very clear about this — the anthem, the respect for our flag is very important. So I want to see our players stand.”
The NFL has become a political football in the last two months since President Trump took aim at players who protest the anthem before games. Colin Kaepernick, who is out of football and suing the league for collusion, started the anthem protests last year as a demonstration against racial injustice and police brutality.
Some believe declining NFL ratings, down 19% from two seasons ago, are the product of the highly polarizing political debate that’s taken over football. Goodell, whose league endlessly markets with the armed forces and gleefully funds stadiums with public money, reiterated his ironic belief that politics have no place in football.
“I think you’re getting into something, getting into politics is not something we do,” Goodell said. “Values aren’t necessarily about politics. Values are the way you do things and I think we want to make sure we do things at the highest standards. And I think people expect us to.”