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http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/23582533/nfl-owners-approve-new-national-anthem-policy


ATLANTA -- NFL owners have unanimously approved a new national anthem policy that requires players to stand if they are on the field during the performance but gives them the option to remain in the locker room if they prefer, it was announced Wednesday.

The policy subjects teams to a fine if a player or any other team personnel do not show respect for the anthem. That includes any attempt to sit or kneel, as dozens of players have done during the past two seasons to protest racial inequality and police brutality. Those teams will also have the option to fine any team personnel, including players, for the infraction.


"We want people to be respectful of the national anthem," commissioner Roger Goodell said. "We want people to stand -- that's all personnel -- and make sure they treat this moment in a respectful fashion. That's something we think we owe. [But] we were also very sensitive to give players choices."

All 32 owners approved the policy, which will be part of the NFL's game operations manual and thus not subject to collective bargaining. The NFL Players Association said in a statement that it will review the policy and "challenge any aspect" that is inconsistent with the CBA.

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York, however, said he abstained from Wednesday's vote on the new policy. He didn't say he opposed the policy, nor would reveal if any other team abstained.

Some important details remained unclear in the hours after the policy's approval, including the specific fine that teams would be subject to and also how the league will define respect for the flag.

After spending months in discussions, and another three hours over two days at the league's spring meetings, owners said this found a compromise that will end sitting or kneeling with an edict that stops short of requiring every player to stand.

The previous policy required players to be on the field for the anthem but said only that they "should" stand. When then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling in 2016, the league had no rule it could use to prevent it. The movement drew increasing criticism from President Donald Trump, as well as many fans, who believed it was a sign of disrespect toward the flag and country.

Owners, however, had been divided on how to extricate the league from that criticism. Some owners, including the Dallas Cowboys' Jerry Jones and the Houston Texans' Bob McNair, wanted all players to stand. Others, such as the New York Jets' Christopher Johnson, wanted to avoid any appearance of muzzling players.

Even the seemingly simple option of clearing the field prior to the anthem was rejected by some owners who thought it would be interpreted as a mass protest or at least a sign of disrespect.

Earlier this week, the league finalized an $89 million social justice platform with players to help address "some of the underlying issues" that were under protest, said Mark Murphy, the Green Bay Packers' president/CEO.

"I think we learned from each other in order to come to a unanimous consensus," Murphy said. "We also talked a lot about our players. I think when you look back at last fall, it was difficult for all of us within the league. But one of the positives that came out of it was an improved relationship with our players."

In a statement accompanying the announcement, Goodell said the league wanted to eliminate criticism that suggested 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."

Kaepernick and former 49ers safety Eric Reid have both filed collusion cases against the league after failing to find jobs as free agents.






Now I just read that the NFLPA wasn't even consulted about this. I'll try to find the article about this,but here is a tweet:





I didn't watch a s SINGLE snap last season when the teams colluded to keep Kaperenick from getting a job, and watched how some players were punished for taking a knee, and even berated by team owners as I refused to watch. I didn't have ANY plan to watch the 2018 season before this news dropped.

But we already know there are going to be some people on this forum that will STILL watch.
 
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...um=referral&utm_campaign=programming-national


New York Jets co-owner Christopher Johnson will pay any fines his players might be subjected to as part of the NFL's new national anthem policy.

Per Newsday's Bob Glauber, Johnson addressed the situation Wednesday:

"I do not like imposing any club-specific rules. If somebody [on the Jets] takes a knee, that fine will be borne by the organization, by me, not the players. I never want to put restrictions on the speech of our players. Do I prefer that they stand? Of course. But I understand if they felt the need to protest. There are some big, complicated issues that we're all struggling with, and our players are on the front lines. I don't want to come down on them like a ton of bricks, and I won't. There will be no club fines or suspensions or any sort of repercussions. If the team gets fined, that’s just something I'll have to bear."

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, under the new policy, NFL personnel may stay in the locker room if they don't want to stand for the national anthem. Teams could be subjected to fines if players or staff don't stand during the anthem while on the field.

The policy also states teams can develop their own rules regarding personnel who choose not to stand during the anthem, as long as it is in conjunction with the new league-wide policies.

According to Rapoport, NFL owners passed the new policy unanimously. However, San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York said he abstained from the vote, per Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times.

Johnson previously spoke out against a rule change forcing players to stand during the national anthem.

"I can't speak to how other people run their teams, but I just think that trying to forcibly get the players to shut up is a fantastically bad idea," he told reporters in March.

Woody Johnson, Christopher's brother and Jets co-owner, is the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom for President Donald Trump.

Trump has spoken out against NFL player protests during the national anthem. He said owners should fire anyone who kneels during the anthem at a rally in Alabama last September.



It sounds good, but yet I'm very suspicious of the team owners motives.
 
Any word on the punishment for not complying? If it’s just a fine I can see niggas kneeling anyway
 
I'm not the most political person in the world but ain't this a violation of the 1st amendment?

Where I work (in corporate America). Religion & politics doesn't suppose to be in it the first place, so the NFL bringing the flag & anthem to the game shouldn't be there either, right? But nonetheless, I haven't watched the NFL in a long time. So nothing is lost here
 
Any word on the punishment for not complying? If it’s just a fine I can see niggas kneeling anyway

I would say the correct action would be for the ALL the players to not even play, but we know most won't do it because they have families, or are too scared. Plus the NFL knows there are kids out dying for a chance to take their place.
 
I would say the correct action would be for the ALL the players to not even play, but we know most won't do it because they have families, or are too scared. Plus the NFL knows there are kids out dying for a chance to take their place.

Wonder what would happen if a big name who has a squeaky clean image like Russell Wilson decided to start kneeling next year.
 
nah, its gon take somebody Brees to do it

his grandfater (still living iirc) is a WW2 vet, and they do a ton of shit here in NOLA for the WW2 museum. He like the captain america for football. He not gon speak up on this issue when he should b/c it would show solidarity among the players and it would show even more that its not about the fucking flag

but he not gon say shit...thats probably my biggest knock against Brees
 
NFLPA lives up to being one of the weakest unions out of the 4 professional sports unions.....the owners stay chumping them off.....a unilateral decision made by the owners which sets a precedent.......the owners can now try to implement more unilateral rules without consulting the NFLPA
 
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