Nearly two years after Colin Kaepernick first knelt during the national anthem to protest racial injustice in the U.S., the NFL has now passed a new policy that will force players on the field to stand during the anthem or be subject to fines/penalties.
Via ESPN
new national anthem policy that requires players to stand if they are on the field during the performance but gives them the option to remain in the locker room if they prefer, sources told ESPN the Magazine’s Seth Wickersham on Wednesday.
The new policy will subject teams to a fine if a player or any other team personnel do not show appropriate respect for the anthem. That includes any attempt to sit or kneel, as dozens of players have done during the past two seasons. Those teams will also have the option to fine any team personnel, including players, for the infraction.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 23, 2018
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) May 23, 2018
— NFL (@NFL) May 23, 2018
The NFL players association has already released a statement saying that they were not consulted about the new rules and are going to fight them “to the end”.
