To the NFL, where the owners are meeting to attend to a few things. They have approved David Tepper’s $2.2 billion purchase of the Carolina Panthers and the adoption of a series of rule changes designed to make kickoffs safer, but one issue continues to cut ice: anthem protests.
Colin Kaepernick last year his subtle protest against racial injustice and police brutality co-opted by more than 200 players in the NFL as a message against Donald Trump's call on owners to fire those who refuse to honour the national anthem.
While the owners have responded to these protests by refusing to give Kaepernick a job, they are speaking openly about a more transparent way to react to players who protest the playing of the national anthem ahead of games.
Per USA Today, this includes the farcical idea of imposing a 15-yard penalty on any player who elects to protest. It's not been formalised yet, but was raised and discussed at the meeting of owners, and "involved a proposal which allowed for the handling of the protests on a team-by-team basis. The home team, under this proposal, would set the policy and any player that violated the rule would subject himself to a fine, and his team to a 15-yard penalty".
Nothing has been decided yet, and talks are going to continue today.
Jerry Jones told USA Today as to why the NFL wants to legislate against anthem protests:
But the No. 1 thing here is our fans, and I know our fans want us to zero in on the game, zero in on football. They want to come to the game and get away from the issues that are going on out here. So, one thing that is certainly, from my standpoint, is I’m trying to figure out there very best way to make sure when someone thinks of the NFL, is they’re thinking, who’s starting at quarterback? Who’s coming out hot in the third quarter?
The full piece is available here.
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