The National Football League will no longer allow players to kneel for the National Anthem in the 2018 football season.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the new policy on Wednesday, stating, “This season, all league and team personnel shall stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem. Personnel who choose not to stand for the anthem may stay in the locker room until after the anthem has been performed.”
The National Review reports that players who still refuse to stand for the Anthem may face a 15-yard penalty.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that the NFL is not seeking to violate anyone’s rights, but that the fans are their priority.
“It’s not that easy. We’ve got a lot of things that we’re trying to balance,” said Jones. “We have the interest in every constituency that’s involved here, and the issues that are involved, and we recognize that with our visibility and the interest itself, it’s taken a life of its own.
I’m not trying to diminish issues of our rights here,” he continued. “But the number one 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 a lot of the other issues that are out there.”
Photo courtesy: Getty Images
Publication date: May 24, 2018
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