Bowing to Trump, NFL will require players
to stand for anthem
Send a link to a friend
[May 24, 2018]
By Daniel Trotta
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The National Football
League will fine teams if players on the field refuse to stand for the
national anthem, the league said on Wednesday in a victory for U.S.
President Donald Trump, who loudly demanded an end to such protests last
year.
Some NFL players knelt during the anthem to protest police shootings of
unarmed black men, sparking a controversy as Trump criticized the
players for being unpatriotic.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced on Wednesday a new policy that
will fine teams if players on the field fail to stand during the
"Star-Spangled Banner." Players who choose not to stand may remain in
the locker room until after the anthem is finished.
The NFL Players Association criticized the new policy, saying it was not
consulted and it may issue a challenge should it violate the collective
bargaining agreement.
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long said the owners’ decision
was made out of concern for the NFL’s bottom line and fears that Trump
would turn his political base against the league, America's most popular
professional sports organization.

“This is not patriotism. Don’t get it confused,” the two-time Super Bowl
champion wrote on Twitter. “These owners don’t love America more than
the players demonstrating and taking real action to improve it,” he
said, adding he would be committed to using his platform to affect
change.
The kneeling controversy rattled a $14 billion industry, and the new
policy attempts to resolve a distraction for the owners, said Bob
Dorfman, a sports marketing expert at Baker Street Advertising.
"For advertisers, football's still a great buy, reaching a market -
young males mostly. Ratings have dipped a little bit," Dorfman said,
adding the NFL was "still one of the strongest live events you can buy
in television."
PROTESTS FIZZLED
The protests, in a league where African-Americans make up the majority
of players, continued for much of the past season, with some players
kneeling when the anthem was played and others standing arm-in-arm in
solidarity.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the
protests in 2016, and when he was shunned by all 32 teams in the league,
going unsigned for the entire 2017 season, players and commentators
questioned whether he was being blackballed by the owners.
[to top of second column]
|

Washington Redskins tight end Niles Paul (84) and linebacker Ryan
Anderson (52) and Washington Redskins linebacker Chris Carter (55)
kneel with teammates during the playing of the national anthem
before the game between the Washington Redskins and the Oakland
Raiders at FedEx Field in Landover, MD, U.S., September 24, 2017.
Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

He has filed a grievance against the league.
The protests started to fizzle late in the season when the NFL said
it would donate $89 million over seven years to social justice
causes.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment
on Wednesday.
The NFL last year rejected Trump's calls to punish players who
protest, but said the league's players "should" stand during the
anthem.
Goodell, in Wednesday's statement, defended the patriotism of NFL
players.
"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," the commissioner
said.
The players' union in its statement said NFL players "have shown
their patriotism through their social activism, their community
service, in support of our military and law enforcement and yes,
through their protests to raise awareness about the issues they care
about."
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Additional reporting by Andrew Both;
Editing by Bill Tarrant and Peter Cooney)
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.

 |