As Trump presses owners to fire protesting athletes
NFL commissioner says football players should stand for national anthem
By
Alan Gilman
19 October 2017
On Wednesday, National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell held a press conference to discuss the team owners’ response to ongoing protests by professional football players during the playing of the national anthem. Goodell said, “We believe our players should stand for the national anthem. It’s an important part of our policy and the game. It’s important to honor our flag and our country and I think our fans expect that.”
When asked what the NFL would do if an owner attempted to discipline a player for kneeling, Goodell said, “We want players to stand and will continue to encourage them to stand and we will continue to work on these issues in the community, but I am not willing to address hypotheticals.”
Goodell claimed that only six to seven players were still involved in the protests and that he hoped to work with the players to reduce the number to zero. The NFL commissioner said this was financially important to the league and its sponsors, many of whom blame the protests for falling TV viewership.
Goodell spoke after the conclusion of a team owners meeting in New York City. On Tuesday, the owners met with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) and 12 players at the league’s headquarters in New York City to discuss the players’ national anthem protests and potential rule changes that would compel them to stand.
At the conclusion of the October 17 meeting, the owners and the NFLPA issued a joint statement affirming how they can work together to promote positive social change and address inequality. The statement went on to state that the NFL community has a…