Roger Goodell says players are being encouraged to stand, not forced

NFL executives and owners met with players on Tuesday to discuss the issues surrounding national anthem protests, and commissioner Roger Goodell says there have been no plans proposed to prohibit such demonstrations going forward.

Goodell, did, however, make it clear that the league and its owners would prefer if players stood during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

“We believe that our players should stand for the national anthem,” he told reporters on Wednesday, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “We want our players to stand, we’re going to continue to encourage them to stand.”

The NBA currently has a rule in place that requires players to stand, but Goodell said the NFL is not going to go down that road. Instead, executives and owners are trying to find ways to raise awareness and make a difference in the community without protesting during the anthem.

“They are not doing this in any way to be disrespectful to the flag, but they also understand how it’s being interpreted, and that’s why we’re trying to deal with those underlying issues,” Goodell said of the players.

Goodell also noted how few players have been kneeling or sitting during the anthem in recent weeks, and he said the NFL hopes to “get that to zero” going forward.

There were initially rumblings that NFL owners were so afraid of losing fans that they were exploring ways to ban protests, but the league must know how much of a public relations nightmare that would be. Some of the reports we heard about Tuesday’s meeting sounded quite positive, though it’s unclear what actual plans have been made for the NFL to help players get their messages across.