On Wednesday, the NFL announced it will implement a new rule where players and league personnel are required to stand during the national anthem – an effort to curb sideline protests where players (and coaches) took a knee to demand criminal justice reform and an end to police brutality directed towards African Americans.
It’s already not working.
According to the new rules – which were voted on by NFL owners unanimously without any input from NFL players – the NFL will fine players as well as the teams of players who kneel during the national anthem.
Seeing as how many players, coaches, and even some owners believe that this new rule infringes on their rights to free speech, New York Jets owner Christopher Johnson came forward almost immediately after the ruling was announced and said he would take the brunt of all protest-related fines.
“I do not like imposing any club-specific rules,” Johnson told Newsday. “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.”
Of course, not every team is going to go about handling national anthem protests in this way. You can take a guess that teams like the Houston Texans with owner Bob McNair won’t be so forgiving of players who kneel.
It’s just a reminder to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell how badly they’ve handled this situation. Rather than respect players’ rights to free speech and moving on from the issue entirely, they’re deferring to the teams because they’re either incapable or too afraid to take a firm stance.
And the league didn’t need to address the controversy at all – they’re still the most popular and most watched professional sports league in the country.
The league is giving teams and players an inch, and they’re not hesitating to take a mile. And now, Goodell’s headache will continue.
