Goodell to players: 'Everyone should stand for the national anthem'
In a letter sent from Roger Goodell to NFL players on Tuesday, the league took a stance against players kneeling during the national anthem.
According to the letter obtained by ESPN's Adam Schefter, anthem protests will be a topic of discussion at league meetings next week, and it appears the NFL has strongly tipped its hand toward its desired result:
We live in a country that can feel very divided. Sports, and especially the NFL, brings people together and lets them set aside those divisions, at least for a few hours. The current dispute over the National Anthem is threatening to erode the unifying power of our game, and is now dividing us, and our players, from many fans across the country ...
... Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the national anthem. It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us.
NFL owners will consider a rule change that would make standing during the national anthem mandatory, reports Schefter. The rulebook currently only encourages players to stand.
Goodell said the league has developed a plan that it will review with owners at the meeting.
The protests have become a point of contention for the league, leading President Donald Trump to take direct aim at the sport. At the behest of Trump, Vice President Mike Pence left a game early this past Sunday after a collection of players took a knee during the anthem.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Sunday that players seen "disrespecting the flag" won't be allowed to play.
Demonstrations during the anthem have branched off into other sports, as Bruce Maxwell of the MLB's Oakland Athletics took a knee last month and J.T. Brown of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning stood with a raised fist during the anthem last week.
Players in the NBA have also suggested they would protest, but a league rule stipulates they must stand for the anthem.
More than 200 players took a knee or demonstrated in some fashion prior to NFL kickoff in Week 3 after Trump ignited a firestorm at a rally in Alabama, referring to anyone who doesn't stand during the anthem as a "son of a bitch."