Article below by Mark Maske at washingtonpost.com. As the NFL owner’s annual spring meeting approaches, the pink elephant in the room, the national anthem policy, looms. A recent report has surfaced noting that owners are considering a number of options to resolve the issue of the slaves rebelling on the plantation. One, which is being touted the most, is allowing each team to decide what to do. Which is already what’s happening, though not formally designated. Mandating standing is going to be a problem because a precedent has already been set allowing players to kneel, and the issue may be one the NFLPA believes must be collectively bargained. In truth, it’s really not the NFL’s business how players choose to respond to the national anthem; the same way it would not be their business how a player responds to a prayer. The national anthem has nothing to do with playing football; players were not on the field during its playing until this ritual was introduced in 2009, likely as a military recruiting bid. That the richest league in the world hasn’t figured this issue out after nearly two years is, frankly, pathetic.
NFL owners are considering a compromise solution to the sport’s national anthem policy that would make it a team-by-team decision whether to require players to stand for the anthem prior to games, according to several people familiar with the league’s inner workings.
Read the rest at washingtonpost.com.
