Well, that takes care of that.
The NFL has officially announced its new policy concerning the national anthem and whether players should be allowed to kneel or not. The policy will most definitely rub Leftists the wrong way, and I’m okay with that.
According to a statement by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, the policy agreed on by all 32 team owners is as follows:
- 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.
I don’t really see a problem with this. If you’re not going to stand for the anthem anyway, why even go out onto the field for the singing of it?
The obvious answer is that the offending party is just trying to make a statement that detracts from the reason they’re even there in the first place — the game.
The singing of the national anthem is a time honored tradition in the world of sports, no matter what country you’re in. Lack of respect for a country that allows the freedom for these players to be in the “one percent” shows the ignorance of the player and the ignorance of the right time and place to demonstrate, which is their right.
“We believe today's decision will keep our focus on the game and the extraordinary athletes who play it -- and on our fans who enjoy it,” Goodell said in the statement.
May we all please just get back to playing the game and entertaining the people who the players salaries?
For the press conference announcing the new anthem policy, watch below: