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The update comes a week after the National
Football League Players Association (NFLPA) filed a grievance
over the league's new requirement that players stand for the
national anthem or wait in their dressing rooms.
"The NFL and NFLPA, through recent discussions, have been
working on a resolution to the anthem issue," the two sides said
in a statement.
"In order to allow this constructive dialogue to continue, we
have come to a standstill agreement on the NFLPA’s grievance and
on the NFL’s anthem policy."
The NFL's policy, which was announced in May, followed U.S.
President Donald Trump's denunciation of pregame protests which
were intended to call attention to what critics say is often
brutal treatment of minorities by U.S. law enforcement.
Trump and others have blasted the gesture as a sign of
disrespect to the U.S. flag and the military.
The NFLPA's claim when it filed its grievance was that the new
policy was inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement
and infringed on player rights.
In the joint statement, the NFL and NFLPA said no new rules
relating to the anthem will be issued or enforced for the next
several weeks while the confidential discussions are ongoing.
"The NFL and NFLPA reflect the great values of America, which
are repeatedly demonstrated by the many players doing
extraordinary work in communities across our country to promote
equality, fairness and justice," the statement read.
"Our shared focus will remain on finding a solution to the
anthem issue through mutual, good faith commitments, outside of
litigation."
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Peter
Rutherford)
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