[videowaywire video_id=”NFL players send message to Trump in national anthem dispute”]
*Critics are calling foul on a new rule being proposed by NFL owners to try and discourage players from kneeling in protest during the national anthem.
Sports Illustrated reported that NFL owners considered the idea of having the home team decide whether both teams would be on the field for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” or remain in their respective locker rooms. If the teams chose to come out, a team would be assessed a 15-yard penalty if any of their players protested during the anthem.
Needless to say, the idea was met with a collective “WTF?” by journalists who cover sports for a living:
The #NFL still doesn’t understand the players aren’t protesting the anthem – it’s a shame the NFL won’t use its influence to try to make things better for young black men & women in America. This is a joke.
— Chris Keppler (@chris_keppler) May 22, 2018
Just let people protest if they want. Fix the issue and there would be no protest. A quote from a 1959 Death Valley days episode… “You can’t beat patriotism if you want to put something over on the people. “
— Champ Evans (@901R8DR) May 22, 2018
And if members of both teams kneel, offsetting penalties so neither team is penalized. Purpose defeated.
— Mark N Jackson ? (@Mark_N_Jackson) May 23, 2018
Dozens of NFL players took a knee during the national anthem prior to games for the past two seasons to raise awareness of racial inequality and social justice issues, such as police brutality.
Two players who were among the first to take a knee during the 2016 season — Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid — are now free agents. They have filed separate lawsuits against the NFL claiming owners colluded to keep them off of a team because of their history of protests.
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