The topic of national anthem protests has been a major talking point for NFL players, owners and executives over the past week. Among the many conversations league officials have had over the protests was one between NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. According to Smith, Goodell’s stance on anthem protests is quite clear.
The boss wants players to stop kneeling.
“It certainly was my takeaway that the commissioner was looking for a way for the protests to end,” Smith told ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham on Friday. “Knowing the league the way I know the league, they are first and foremost concerned about the impact on their business. That’s always their first concern. I mean, who are we kidding?”
Smith’s conversation with Goodell took place on Monday — a day after anthem protests were more widespread than ever across the league. Goodell declined to comment for ESPN’s story, but a source did not dispute Smith’s account when asked by Van Natta and Wickersham.
According to the report, 25 team owners met at the NFL’s headquarters on Tuesday afternoon to discuss players protesting. Some owners were angry that NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said Monday that players talking about police brutality and racism is “real locker room talk” — a reference to Donald Trump saying his inappropriate comment years ago about grabbing a woman by the genitals was “locker room talk.”
Here’s more:
Owners, many of whom had supported Trump and seven of whom had donated at least $1 million to him, felt that Lockhart had unnecessarily politicized the league’s response. One owner barked angrily at Lockhart, who declined to comment about the matter, echoing a sentiment that most of them — especially Jones — shared: Nobody wanted to engage in a political mud fight with the White House, even if “they were all pissed at the president,” a league source said.
After the owners met, a group of eight players from five different teams arrived at the league offices for a meeting Goodell had asked them to attend. Smith said Goodell never mentioned the meeting when he spoke with the commissioner on Monday and only invited him and other NFLPA executives that morning. Smith was angry at what he felt was Goodell attempting to use key players against the union.
“I viewed that as insulting to our players’ leadership,” Smith said. “The league tries to use some of our guys to give them cover, to get them on their side. Our players’ leadership wasn’t pleased, and I wasn’t pleased.”
Wickersham and Van Natta dove much deeper into the behind-the-scenes meeting, but the overall takeaway is that the league is divided over anthem protests. Owners are trying to figure out the best way to allow the players to express themselves without angering fans, and players feel the intended message of their protests is not being received. A previous report we shared regarding NFL owners and their fears about anthem protests appears to be accurate.
The increase in protests, of course, came in direct response to Trump saying NFL owners should fire any “son of a b—” who kneels. One owner who is a known supporter and friend of Trump is Robert Kraft, and he reportedly expressed concerns over anthem protests being bad for business. Another owner said “this could kill football and end our business.” Smith feels the issue for NFL owners is about control.
“For the first time, the owners are afraid of the players,” he said. “It has less to do with money and it has more to do with control. The owners are used to being in control — and they aren’t on this. They know it. They hate it.”
Ironically, that sounds an awful lot like what Trump said earlier in the week. There may be less kneeling during Week 4, but players are not going to stop exercising their First Amendment rights just because their bosses are concerned about losing money.
