President Donald Trump may soon get his wish.
NFL owners will discuss potential changes to the league's national anthem policy next week during the league's fall meeting in New York. One possibility is requiring players to stand on the sideline during the pregame ceremony or face league discipline.
"This will be a chance to discuss this issue, look at the policy and hear any ideas if we need to change,” NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said Tuesday on a media conference call. "I fully expect this will be front and center on the agenda."
MORE: NFLPA chief blasts teams for reportedly telling players to stand for anthem
The NFL's game operations manual states that during the anthem “players on the field and bench area should stand at attention, face the flag, hold helmets in their left hand, and refrain from talking … It should be pointed out to players and coaches that we continue to be judged by the public in this area of respect for the flag and our country.
"Failure to be on the field by the start of the National Anthem may result in discipline, such as fines, suspensions, and/or the forfeiture of draft choice(s) for violations of the above, including first offenses."
The key word in the policy is "should" rather than "must," which has kept the door open for players to kneel or sit during the anthem as a form of protest. The NFL also has not levied fines through the first five weeks of the season toward players and teams that haven't followed the anthem rules.
However, the NFL continues to feel the heat from Trump to force players to stand for the anthem through an ongoing series of Twitter postings following his sharp criticism of the league during a Sept. 22 speech. The stance was buttressed over the weekend when Vice President Mike Pence claimed he left the Indianapolis-San Francisco game early because 23 49ers players took a knee during the anthem.
Trump continued to assail the league Tuesday morning with a Tweet asking, “Why is the NFL getting massive tax breaks while at the same time disrespecting our Anthem, Flag and Country? Change tax law!"
Lockhart countered that the NFL doesn’t receive federal tax breaks "at all." He said those that are given come at the local and state levels and are common to other businesses through such mechanisms as tax-exempt bond offerings.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and select team owners have recently engaged in conversations with NFL Players Association leaders and some of its members regarding the anthem. Lockhart said he didn’t know whether those being consulted by the NFL would be invited to continue the dialogue at next Tuesday’s meeting but claimed the “level of conversation and dialogue among players and owners is unprecedented.”
ESPN obtained a letter Goodell sent Tuesday to NFL owners that said a plan was developed to address the issue that will be presented at the meeting. Goodell described the initiative as having such elements as “an in-season platform to promote the work of our players on these core (social) issues, and that will help to promote positive change in our country. We want to ensure that any work at the League level is consistent with the work that each club is doing in its own community, and that we dedicate a platform that can enable these initiatives to succeed. Additionally, we will continue the unprecedented dialogue with our players.
“We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us. We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues. The controversy over the Anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players."
Lockhart said he was unsure whether NFL lawyers have looked into the legality of barring players from protesting during the national anthem under the First Amendment.
Lockhart wouldn't elaborate on whether Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who has ongoing dialogue with Trump, can force his players to stand during the anthem under the threat of benching, as he stated following Sunday's loss to Green Bay. Lockhart said it was a “moot point” since the Cowboys instituted a stand-only policy at the team level in 2016 in the aftermath of the protests first started by ex-49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Dolphins coach Adam Gase began a team-wide policy last Sunday barring players from kneeling or sitting on the sideline during the anthem. Gase left the option open for players who didn't want to stand to remain in the stadium tunnel or locker room. Three chose not to take the field before last Sunday’s home win over the Titans.
MORE: Trump tweets support for Jerry Jones
"Everyone at this point is frustrated over the situation," Lockhart said. "The commissioner and owners do want players to stand. The commissioner has said that from the very beginning over the past year. Players are frustrated because the issues they are trying raise awareness about and enact progress have been distorted by a game of political football. Each of them has made clear they are patriotic. They have respect for the flag. And I think fans are frustrated.
"Football is traditionally a unifying event and a thing for people to escape the divisive politics facing our country right now. There's a strong feeling across every level that we've got to get back to football."
And, some would argue, for the league to get Trump off its back.
Anthem protocol wasn't even considered enough of a concern for discussion last March at the NFL’s annual owners meeting, which shapes the majority of rule changes heading into a given season.
