A new policy adopted by the National Football League on Wednesday will fine teams whose players kneel on the field during the national anthem. The vote was made by team owners without involvement from the NFL Players Association. This is National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Roger Goodell: “All 32 clubs want to make sure that during the moment of the anthem and the flag, that that is a very important moment to all of us, as a league, as clubs, personally and to our country, and that’s a moment that we want to make sure is done in a very respectful fashion. And that, that was something that was very strongly held in the room.”
Goodell said players who don’t want to stand for the anthem can remain in the locker room without penalty. This comes after Colin Kaepernick helped spark a movement against racism and police brutality across the National Football League after he refused to stand during the 2016 season for the national anthem before an NFL game. We’ll have more on the national anthem and the NFL later in the broadcast with sports journalist Dave Zirin.