NFL, team owners will reportedly not ban players from anthem protests
NFL owners are expected to meet with league executives this week to further discuss the issue of national anthem protests, and the goal is to provide players with different avenues for raising awareness on social issues rather than political demonstrations during the anthem.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports expects the league and its owners to make some “tangible announcements” in the coming days regarding how the NFL will proceed.
“Expect to hear some tangible announcements (regarding national anthem protests) coming out of this meeting — direct ways in which owners and the league office will work with players to address some of those issues of social inequality,” La Canfora said Sunday. “In exchange, they certainly hope fewer and fewer players protest. What I don’t expect is any edicts like, ‘If you don’t stand, you’ll be fined X amount.’ That’s not the idea.”
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported earlier on Sunday that the NFL could explore the possibility of allowing players to display messages on their cleats, which is something that is currently a violation of the league’s uniform policy.
You could argue that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has essentially banned his players from anthem protests with the strong comments he made, but an official rule outlawing such demonstrations would be a public relations nightmare for the NFL.
