The NFL did not hold an official vote prior to its passage of new national anthem policies, according to a Thursday report from ESPN.
The new policies, which will go into effect next season, eliminate the current stipulation that players and team personnel be present on the field during the anthem’s performance. Players and personnel may now remain in the locker room while the anthem is being played if their team deems it appropriate.
Sources told ESPN that NFL executives polled team owners but never held an official vote, which the sports television channel noted as unusual for a large policy change.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday that the changes were unanimously approved in a vote by team owners.
The league also plans to fine teams whose players choose to be on the field and do not stand while the anthem is being played. The changes allow provisions for Goodell to bring “appropriate discipline” on those individuals.
The decision was allegedly supported by President Trump, who said Thursday on “Fox and Friends” that the NFL was “doing the right thing” by implementing the new policies.
[Related: Trump: NFL players ‘shouldn’t be in the country’ if they kneel for the anthem]
The NFL did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
