On Wednesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced a new policy mandating that players and league personnel on the sideline stand during the playing of the national anthem.
This is designed to address the controversy surrounding players kneeling during the national anthem as a sign of symbolic protest for criminal justice reform and police brutality directed at African-Americans, among other causes.
Here’s the catch: the NFL gave players and league personnel the option to remain in the locker room if they don’t want to stand.
If the purpose of this culture war was to get players to stand for the national anthem, then the NFL sorely missed the mark.
In addition to the change, teams as well as the league have the authority to fine players who protest on the sideline. Teams will also have the power to set their own guidelines for how they want players to conduct themselves during the national anthem.
“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 a statement on the policy update that was approved unanimously by NFL owners. “We are dedicated to continuing our collaboration with players to advance the goals of justice and fairness in all corners of our society.”
He continued. “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 NFL Players Association was left out in the dark as they were not consulted on the policy proposal before NFL owners voted on it.
This only adds another layer of controversy to the national anthem debate. If players are leaning towards protesting during the national anthem, they could still have an exit plan to get out of participating in standing for the national anthem altogether.
Of all the major sports leagues, only the NBA and WNBA mandate that their players stand during the national anthem. The U.S. Soccer Federation also mandates that players stand for the national anthem when playing for the various national teams. Yet, the NFL continues to stand out with such a wishy-washy rule.
Instead of shutting the door on the national anthem controversy, the NFL just guaranteed its prolongment.
