NBA’s David Stern: NFL’s Roger Goodell Doing a ‘Great Job’ With Anthem Protests

The former NBA commish said Goodell was handling "difficult circumstances" well.

There aren’t many people on either side who agree with President Trump and VP Mike Pence that Roger Goodell has done a good job handling the NFL’s national anthem protests, but former NBA commissioner David Stern is one of them.

In a brief interview with TMZ Sports, Stern stuck up for his fellow commissioner and said that Goodell is “doing a great job in difficult circumstances.”

Stern, the longest-tenured commish in NBA history at 30 years, added: “I think every league needs rules to cover every situation. I don’t know what rule I would implement, but there should be a rule that treats everyone fairly, and uniformly.”

Interestingly enough, the NBA does have a rule on the books which, now that the NFL has updated its policy to require players on the field to stand and “show respect” during the anthem, is remarkably similar to the NFL’s.

That underplayed fact was highlighted in a memo to teams deputy NBA commissioner Mark Tatum sent to teams last season when the NFL’s anthem controversy was at its peak.

“The NBA has a rule that players, coaches and trainers stand respectfully for the anthem,” Tatum wrote. “The league office will determine how to deal with any possible instance in which a player, coach or trainer does not stand for the anthem. (Teams do not have the discretion to waive this rule).”

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