NFL owners are not expected to make any major changes to the league’s governance of player protests when they meet Tuesday in New York, CBS Sports reports.
While the league’s gameday operations manual stipulates that players are subject to fines or other forms of discipline if they do not stand for the national anthem, “there is no expectation that the NFL would issue an ultimatum or mandate on the matter,” according to the report.
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There is a division among ownership on this issue. While hardliners, the Cowboys’ Jerry Jones included, believe the policy should be enforced, others believe doing so would further damage the owners’ relationship with players.
The issue will be prominent on this week’s agenda in New York, but the discussion among league and union officials, owners and players will focus on how else to approach social activism. The league is also expected to emphasize that the original message of Colin Kaepernick’s protest has become convoluted by this season’s movement, which has been more about a show of unity against President Trump than about police brutality.
“Basically, the message from the NFL is going to be that it has empathy for its players and the situation they now find themselves in," a source told CBS Sports. "And therefore you've seen no enforcement of the rule about the anthem in the gameday manual. But now this has morphed into something that is seen as divisive and disrespectful toward the flag and our servicemen and women by a segment of the country, and that's not what was intended by the players or the NFL.
"So the league is going to encourage the players to follow the gameday manual and vow to continue to engage directly with players and the NFLPA on a platform to work for positive change in their communities. It's not going to be – 'If you don't stand then you are going to get fined.' Some owners might favor that, but that's not the intention here."