Make football great again! Its about time someone had the balls to put a stop to this social justice bullshit!
The NFL adopted a policy that would fine teams and league personnel did not “stand show respect for the flag and the Anthem,” the league announced Wednesday.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement that the policy was approved “in concert with the NFL”s ongoing commitment to local communities and our country.”
The policy read: “the 32 member clubs of the National Football League have reaffirmed their strong commitment to work alongside our players to strengthen our communities and advance social justice.”
The teams agreed to the following requirements:
- “All team and league personnel on the field shall stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem.”
- “The Game Operations Manual will be revised to remove the requirement that all players be on the field for the Anthem.”
- Personnel who choose not to stand for the Anthem may stay in the locker room or in a similar location off the field until after the Anthem has been performed.”
- “A club will be fined by the League if its personnel are on the field and do not stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem.”
- “Each club may develop its own work rules, consistent with the above principles, regarding its personnel who do not stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem.”
- “The Commissioner will impose appropriate discipline on league personnel who do not stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem.”
Goodell said that the “efforts by many of our players sparked awareness and action around issues of social justice that must be addressed” but it was unfortunate that “on-field protests created a false perception among many that thousands of NFL players were unpatriotic.”
“This is not and was never the case,” he continued.
The policy comes in wake of the protests that were started by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
During the 2016-2017 NFL season, Kaepernick started kneeling during the anthem as part of a protest against police brutality. The hotly contested move was later adapted by other players as well, including former…