NFL anthem policy will hardly silence players
ATLANTA – The NFL’s 2018 season will feature a national anthem policy that virtually ends player protests, at least on the field.
Under a rule approved by the league’s owners Wednesday at the conclusion of the spring meetings, players will have the option of remaining in the locker room during the pregame playing of The Star-Spangled Banner.
Any players opting to take the sideline for the anthem must stand; otherwise, they will be subject to a fine. Teams can adopt their own policies for how to punish players who protest on the sideline rather than remaining in the locker room.
Clubs can be fined by the league if
players protest on the sideline.
Owners may feel like they have removed this thorn from their sides, and to a degree, they have. They no longer have to see pictures and video of clusters of players kneeling in the midst of teammates that choose to stand during the anthem. Owners no longer will have to deal with President Trump hammering away at the league.
The fans so enraged by the perceived acts of anti-patriotism can stop wringing their hands over the matter. Instead, they can enjoy the anthem in their way and “zero in on football,” as Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones put it Tuesday night.
But let’s not misconstrue this as the owners possessing a strong desire to ensure patriotism reigns in their league. This is about one thing: protecting the brand (which means protect the pocketbook).
The majority of owners would have let things proceed as they had been, but a few among their ranks speak more loudly than others and wouldn’t let this slide.
Critics of player protests who think, “We won” should dismiss such silly thoughts right now.
I don’t even like the term “anthem protests.” Let’s not forget that this never really was about the anthem or disrespecting the flag.
Colin Kaepernick and the players that followed suit said they saw the brief moment before kickoff as an opportunity to draw attention to atrocities in our country — the police brutality on people of color and the absence of justice for all.
These men said they knelt in hopes of jump-starting the conversation of how they/we can affect change and make our country a better place.
Jones said it’s clear fans want to tune into football to escape the issues plaguing our country.
“We’ve got enough things, to watch CNN and these good Atlanta companies about every day,” he said.
But let’s keep it real. Players still have their voices, and those who are passion- ate about drawing attention to racial and social injustices should and will continue to make themselves heard.
That will just require a degree of creativity.
“There are still plenty of ways to use our voice and platform,” 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman said in a text message to USA TODAY Sports. “But to try to quiet the voices in such a forceful way will be sure to have mixed reviews.”
Sherman described the new policy as odd and noted that determining what counts as disrespecting the flag could cause confusion. For example, can a player stand during the anthem but raise a fist?
And do you really think that reporters and/or fans won’t keep tabs of who decides not to be present during the anthem?
The discussions over the reasons will continue.
Players’ work on their off days will not end. And that’s what matters most.
Ultimately, things may look more appealing to some.
But if you think this issue finally has died, think again.