Policy could mean a new playbook on NFL protests

PHILADELPHIA» Now that the NFL is drawing the line against players kneeling during the national anthem, athletes protesting police brutality and racial inequality may need to find a new playbook.

The question is whether they intend to escalate their protests in some way.

“The owners can try to prevent kneeling, but they open another can of worms,” said Randal Maurice Jelks, professor of African and African-American studies and history at the University of Kansas. “Imagine if players decide as a team to not come out for the national anthem. Or if one-third of the team decides not to come out.”

Hoping to quell the furor started by quarterback Colin Kaepernick two years ago, the NFL announced Wednesday that players can stay in the locker room during “The StarSpangled Banner” but must stand if they venture onto the field. Not doing so will result in a fine against the team.

The decision was lauded by President Donald Trump, who suggested Thursday in a Fox interview that “maybe you shouldn’t be in the country” if you don’t stand for the anthem.

While NFL players who have supported kneeling in the past have not revealed their plans for this season, it is unlikely the new policy brought an end to the controversy.

Like protesters before them in past social movements, the players face a familiar dilem- ma: What to do when their public platform is taken away?

From the American Revolution through the civil rights era and, more recently, the Black Lives Matter movement, history has shown that when one avenue of protest is taken away, activists often move on to other — sometimes more disruptive — methods of protest.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate said he expects the team will discuss “a solution to stand for justice in America.”

“We’ve got time to kind of brainstorm some ideas on how we could stand for justice and what we can do,” Tate said.