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Fox and ESPN will not be airing the National Anthem during the NFL's Sunday and Monday Night Football games, according to a report by CNN.
The networks usually play ads instead of the pre-game ritual, except for major events such as the Super Bowl, but they broadcast them last month after President Trump slammed NFL players who kneel during the National Anthem as disrespectful and called for their firing.
Fox and ESPN did not broadcast the National Anthem last weekend, but Vice President Mike Pence’s walkout at an Indianapolis Colts-San Francisco 49ers game last Sunday thrusted the debate back into the spotlight.
The decision comes after news made headlines that the NFL has no plans to require players to stand for the National Anthem.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be meeting with team owners and NFL Players Association head DeMaurice Smith next week to discuss the protests and the league’s policy toward them.
NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart on a conference call on Friday said that Goodell has a plan he wants to present to everyone, but it is “clear” that the plan does not include any change of policy.
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