Wednesday morning the NFL announced it’s official stance on players choosing to kneel during the national anthem for the upcoming season. Team owners have collaborated to create a new policy, where players will be permitted to either remain in their locker room for the duration of the anthem, or be present on the field and stand. Those players who are present on the field and choose to kneel will be fined for not “[showing] respect for the flag and the anthem” according to the League’s statement.
The statement claims that, “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. We are dedicated to continuing our collaboration with players to advance the goals of justice and fairness in all corners of our society.”
The statement also added, “It was unfortunate that on-field protests created a false perception among many that thousands of NFL players were unpatriotic. This is not and was never the case. ”
Teams may also establish rules for those players who chose to not comply with the League’s policy. Christopher Johnson, owner of the New York Jets said in a statement that the team will continue to support those players who choose to kneel on the field, and will pay the fines incurred by the League. Johnson added that the Jets front office will continue to work closely with our players to constructively advance social justice issues that are important to us.” and that he remains “extremely proud of how we demonstrated unity last season as well as our players’ commitment to strengthening our communities”.
The NFLPA responded with criticism to the League’s decision, asserting that “The vote by NFL club CEOs today contradicts the statements made to our player leadership by Commissioner Roger Goodell … about the principles, values and patriotism of our League,” arguing that they would “challenge any aspect of it that is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement.” after reviewing the policy.
DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFLPA echoed the NFLPA’s statement on Twitter writing, “History has taught us that both patriotism and protest are like water; if the force is strong enough it cannot be suppressed.”
Chris Long, reigning Super Bowl champ and defensive end of the Eagles, known for his engagement on social justice issues released a statement on Twitter that “This is a fear of a diminished bottom line…This is not patriotism…I will continue to be committed to affecting change with my platform. I’m someone who’s always looked at the anthem as a declaration of ideals, including the right to peaceful protest. Our league continues to fall short on this issue.”
In an article titled “Scared NFL Makes Epic Mistake with Anthem Policy” Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report wrote “The NFL has gotten things wrong before, but in the recent history of this league, it has gotten fewer things more horribly, disgracefully, stupidly, terribly wrong than what it decided to do Wednesday in trying to half-heartedly stop players from protesting during the national anthem.”
Other franchises have yet to respond to the policy, but the scrutiny of the League’s hard stance on kneeling as compared to domestic violence, CTE-induced suicide and substance abuse has caused widespread criticism of Goodell’s leadership and the League’s consistency.
What is even more problematic for the League is the recent evidence from the Kaepernick collusion suit, as reported by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, revealing that “Multiple teams believed that Colin Kaepernick was still good enough to play after becoming a free agent more than a year ago.”
While the League and its respective owners may have found a short-term solution, their problems are far from over.
