In the face of fan unrest and accusations from the president about the league being unpatriotic, the NFL is not changing its national anthem policy to require players to stand. Commissioner Roger Goodell and several owners said Wednesday at the league’s fall meetings that altering the policy language from “should stand” to “must stand” was not discussed. (THR / AP)
Goodell said the league, rather than forcing players to stand, is looking to work with them on the issues they are protesting. “We’re focusing on what we can do, and what we should be doing as an NFL,” the commissioner said. “I think we have a great opportunity here with our players to really work together, and to try to help and make differences in our community—things that we all believe are necessary to do. And that’s what we’re going to continue to do.” (Mediaite)
The players “will state to you, and they have stated to everyone publicly, they are not doing this in any way to be disrespectful to the flag,” Goodell said. “But they also understand how it’s being interpreted.” (CNNMoney)
On Wednesday morning, President Trump blasted the NFL over the controversy, tweeting the league was showing “total disrespect.” He tweeted: “The NFL has decided that it will not force players to stand for the playing of our National Anthem. Total disrespect for our great country!” Goodell said Wednesday he had not spoken to Trump since the controversy began. (CBS News)