Photo Credit: Slaven Vlasic | Getty images
The NFL has just implemented a policy that has raised an uproar in the sports community and beyond. Now, as reported by ESPN, the owners of the National Football Association have approved a new national anthem policy that requires players to stand if they are on the field during the performance, with the option to remain in the locker room if preferred. Commissioner Roger Goodell states, “We want people to be respectful of the national anthem. We want people to stand — that’s all personnel — and make sure they treat this moment in a respectful fashion. That’s something we think we owe. [But] we were also very sensitive to give players choices.” This follows the suspension of former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, who was reprimanded for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of black people being gunned down and killed by the police. View the reactions from some NFL players below.
#TheFightContinues pic.twitter.com/TX9IBDxRev
— Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) May 23, 2018