New national anthem policy will impact 49ers, Raiders
SANTA CLARA >> The NFL’s new national anthem policy will reverberate strongly in the Bay Area, from the sidelines to the concession stands.
Owners of the league’s 32 teams voted Wednesday to compel players to stand at attention on the sidelines during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Players who might otherwise consider sitting or taking a knee will have the option to remain in the locker room instead.
Though the new policy passed unanimously among owners who voted, there was at least one abstention: from 49ers owner Jed York.
The new restrictions on anthem conduct might as well be called the Colin Kaepernick Rule. The former 49ers quarterback began taking a knee during the anthem in 2016 as a way of protesting racial inequality, and dozens of players across the NFL followed suit.
“We want people to stand — that’s all personnel — and make sure they treat this moment in a
respectful fashion,” Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, said on the final day of the league’s spring meetings in Atlanta. “That’s something we think we owe. (But) we were also very sensitive to give player’s choices.”
York abstained from the anthem vote at the meetings, saying he wanted to have “deeper conversation with our players.” But he told an ESPN reporter in Atlanta that the 49ers will break from previous protocol and cease concession sales at Levi’s Stadium during the playing of the anthem.
“I don’t think we should be profiting if we’re going to put this type of attention and focus on the field and on the flag,” York said.
York declined further comment when reached by this news organization. Rather than attend the 49ers’ state-of-the-franchise address Wednesday night in San Jose, he planned to fly to Ohio for the annual Edward J. DeBartolo Memorial Scholarship Foundation celebrity dinner and auction Friday night.
Kaepernick’s protest launched a movement, as well as ferocious national debate, that left the NFL owners struggling at times to keep the focus on the gridiron. Responding in part to fan backlash, owners reportedly considered the option of clearing the field prior to the anthem.
President Donald Trump criticized the movement during a speech last September, stating players should be “fired” for not standing. Reacting to the NFL’s new policy announcement on Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence tweeted: “#Winning.”
In his statement introducing the new rules, Goodell addressed criticism that the protests were unpatriotic.
“It was unfortunate that on-field protests created a false perception among many that thousands of NFL players were unpatriotic,” Goodell said. “This is not and was never the case.” If a player chooses to protest on the sideline, the NFL will fine the team. (The amount of fines was unclear.)
The policy will leave it to each club to determine its own anthem policy and decide whether to discipline a player for a protest during the anthem, punishment that could include being fined directly by the team.
The new rule will be included in the NFL’s game operations manual, which means it is not subject to collective bargaining. The NFL Players Association, unhappy about not being consulted, issued a response saying it will review the policy and “challenge any aspect” that is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement.
“The vote by NFL club CEOs today contradicts
“I don’t think we should be profiting if we’re goingto put this type of attention and focus on the field and on the flag.” — Jed York, owner of the San Francisco 49ers
the statements made to our player leadership by Commissioner Roger Goodell and the Chairman of the NFL’s Management Council John Mara about the principles, values and patriotism of our league,” the association said in a statement.
Nowhere will the new rules have more impact than in the Bay Area, the unofficial headquarters for sideline protests.
Twice last season, in games at Arizona and Indianapolis, more than 20 players from the 49ers knelt on the sideline during the national anthem.
And while Kaepernick, who last played in 2016, and defensive back Eric Reid, who took over his role as protest spokesman, remain unsigned, the 49ers still have several players on the current roster who knelt on the sideline last season: Eli Harold, Marquise Goodwin, K’Waun Williams, Adrian Colbert, Reuben Foster, Dekoda Watson and Arik Armstead.
In Oakland, running back Marshawn Lynch waged a stealth and mysterious protest of his own last season. Lynch sat on a cooler during the playing of the anthem, sometimes surrounded by Raiders staffers to help shield him from prying photographers.
Lynch never talked to the media about his reasons for sitting. But he was not alone. During a Week 3 game at Washington, most of the Raiders players locked arms and sat on the bench at anthem time.
Raiders owner Mark Davis did not respond to messages left Wednesday after the new rule announcement. New Raiders head coach Jon Gruden declined comment.
“The policy adopted today was approved in concert with the NFL’s ongoing commitment to local communities and our country — one that is extraordinary in its scope, resources, and alignment with our players,” Goodell said in his statement. “We are dedicated to continuing our collaboration with players to advance the goals of justice and fairness in all corners of our society.”
Kaepernick and Reid have both filed collusion cases against the league after failing to find jobs as free agents.