The National Football League will fine teams if players on the field refuse to stand for the national anthem, the league said on Wednesday in a victory for U.S. President Donald Trump, who loudly demanded an
end to such protests last year.
Some NFL players knelt during the anthem to protest police shootings of unarmed black men, sparking a controversy as Trump criticized the players as being unpatriotic.NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday announced a new policy that will fine teams if players on the field fail to stand during the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Players who choose not to stand may now remain in the locker room until after the anthem is finished.The NFL Players Association criticized the new policy, saying it was not consulted and that it may issue a challenge should it violate the collective bargaining agreement.
The policy rekindled the debate about whether kneeling is an affront to America or a patriotic expression of free speech, and has again pitted billionaire owners against mostly African-American players.“Telling peaceful protesters to leave and do it behind closed doors is dangerous and un-American,” the American Civil Liberties Union said on Twitter.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday, but Vice President Mike Pence tweeted a headline about the new policy with the comment “#Winning.”However, there were some signs of dissension among team owners. San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York said his team abstained from the league vote on the policy, The New York Times reported, and New York Jets Chairman Christopher Johnson told Newsday he would pay any fines.“If somebody (on the Jets) takes a knee, that fine will be borne by the organization, by me, not the players,” Johnson said.The kneeling controversy rattled a $14 billion industry and its mostly conservative team owners, and the new policy attempts to resolve a distraction for them, said Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing expert at Baker Street Advertising.
(THE REUTERS)
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