Goodell looking at both sides of protest
Asked about players who did not stand for the national anthem before preseason games, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday that while the playing of the anthem is a special moment to him, “we also have to understand the other side.”
Goodell made the comments at University of Phoenix Stadium during a question-and-answer period with Arizona Cardinals club seat holders.
One season ticket-holder asked the commissioner whether players were going to continue to protest during the anthem and if anything could be done about it.
“It’s one of those things where I think we have to understand that there are people that have different viewpoints,” Goodell said. “The national anthem is a special moment to me. It’s a point of pride. But we also have to understand the other side, that people do have rights and we wantto respect those.”
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett sat on the visiting bench during the anthem before the preseason opener Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, a decision he made before weekend protests by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va.
Bennett said that the aim of his protest is to make people uncomfortable. In the process, he hopes to spur greater communication, understanding and involvement across racial, gender and socio-economic lines.
Falcons
Atlanta’s star running back Devonta Freeman was placed in the league’s concussion protocol. Freeman left practice with what was thought to be a “heat” related issue. “After taking him inside, he reported that he had some concussion symptoms,” coach Dan Quinn said.
Cardinals
Arizona coach Bruce Arians didn’t like what he saw during practice. “I thought it was very lethargic offensively. I’m not very pleased with our wide receiver room. I must have been seeing things back in the spring when I said we had 12 guys that could play in the NFL, because we might have two. But we’ll look around and see who’s available.”