All-sides summit on social issues
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, owners of each team, representatives of the players’ union and players themselves will meet Tuesday to discuss ways to “move from protest to progress.”
Among the topics will be enhancing the platforms for addressing on social issues, and the league’s policy that suggests but does not mandate that players stand for the national anthem.
There is a quiet mandate for those discussions: figuring out how to get the attention back on those social issues, not how they are being publicized.
And getting the attention back on football.
“We are proud to be able to work with our players to highlight these issues to really put focus on the issues and how the game and the NFL and our players bring communities together when we are divided,” NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said.
Goodell emphasized the need for productive dialogue among the owners and players when he sent a memo to the teams last week. He also invited players’ union chief DeMaurice Smith and a group of players to attend the regularly scheduled meetings. The 49ers’ Eric Reid is among those expected to attend Tuesday’s meeting.
Goodell has noted that the NFL will have a plan ready to present to the players regarding the anthem.
“Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the national anthem,” Goodell wrote last week. “It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us.
“We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues. The controversy over the anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players.” Wisconsin governor’s opinion: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says he thinks NFL players should stop protesting during the national anthem and instead speak t against domestic violence.
The Republican former presidential hopeful sent a letter Monday to Goodell and union chief Smith saying he believes players are showing disrespect for the flag and veterans. Players should drop the “divisive political sideshow” and speak against domestic violence instead, the governor wrote.
“My request is simple: Stand for the American flag and the national anthem out of respect for those who risk their lives for our freedoms, and then take a stand against domestic violence to keep American families safe,” Walker wrote. “That’s something we can all agree on, and that just might help the NFL reunite with many of its devoted fans.” Briefly: Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy says quarterback Aaron Rodgers will have surgery on his broken right collarbone, and that his season could be over. McCarthy said the two-time NFL MVP would have surgery in the near future. He said that there is no timeline for the Cal alum’s potential return. Rodgers got hurt in the first quarter of a 23-10 loss Sunday at Minnesota . ... Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been cleared to rejoin the Vikings for practice, roughly 14 months after a dislocation and multiple ligament tears in his left knee put his leg and career at risk. Head coach Mike Zimmer said Bridgewater, 24, will be eased back in with the team beginning Wednesday.