Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

NFL Approves New Rules Prohibiting National Anthem Protests

National Anthem Protests

Kneeling for the national anthem is now officially against league policy. The NFL approved a policy today that allows players to stay inside the locker room during the anthem. However, if they’re out on the field it requires them to stand and “show respect for the flag and anthem.”

NFL Bans Players from Kneeling During National Anthem

The full statement from Roger Goodell can be seen below:

The statement mentions that the protests created a false sense that NFL players are unpatriotic. To combat that, it requires that they stand during the anthem, or stay in the locker room. The Game Operations manual will be revised to allow players to stay in the locker room. It also allows teams to develop their own rules for disciplining players who “do not stand and show respect for the Anthem.”

The protests have been a polarizing issue in the NFL since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began protesting the anthem in the 2016 pre-season. He emphasized that it was not protesting the flag, but instead to call attention to social injustice and police brutality.

Since then, other players like Michael Bennett, Chris Long, and Eric Reid have joined in. The controversy grew after President Donald Trump tweeted that players who kneel should be removed from the field.

However, until now there were no explicit rules that prohibited players from protesting during the anthem. Teams decided individually how they wanted to deal with the issue. Most simply allowed players who wanted to kneel to do so.

The NFLPA has backed the protesting players throughout this ordeal. Today they issued a response to the decision, condemning the decision to create the policy without consulting the NFLPA:

The statement emphasizes that the policy is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement and they will challenge it. This is definitely not the end of this issue, and it will be interesting to see how each team reacts to and enforces this new policy.

Embed from Getty Images

Ryan Hawks, Managing Editor

Ryan Hawks, Managing Editor

Ryan is a lifelong Raider fan living in San Diego. His NFL fanaticism began when he somehow got a hold of an LA Raiders sweater. He started wearing when the sleeves were way too long and kept wearing until they barely passed his elbows. He is also a Final Fantasy Fanatic and basically dedicates all of his free time to playing Final Fantasy Brave Exvius. In addition to sports writing, he also loves reading and writing fiction. His favorite author is Anne Rice. Ryan is also very involved in education and works as a Tutor at Southwestern Community College in Chula Vista as his day job. He is currently attending JFKU for his MA in Sport Psychology Find him on Twitter @RyanWorldEater.

Share:

More Posts

Send Us A Message