The NFL has unanimously adopted a policy that is intended to end the controversy over players protesting the national anthem: players are not required to be on the field while the anthem is played, but if they are on the field, players (and staff) must stand.
This is an instance of actions speaking louder than words. A lot of nonsense was said and written last season about the anthem protests, but they obviously hurt the league’s image and couldn’t have had a positive effect on ratings. Commissioner Roger Goodell said:
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.
Interestingly put. I think a number of NFL players–not thousands–have shown that they are not patriotic. The NFL obviously hopes that is a topic that will never be raised again.
