As NFL Owners Consider Forcing Players to Stand During Anthem, Protests Continue

San Francisco 49ers, Redskins players both protest in their own way during Sunday matchup.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) kneels down with teammates before the U.S. national anthem was played ahead of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium in London, Sunday Oct. 1, 2017. Saints players then stood when the anthem was played. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) kneels down with teammates before the U.S. national anthem was played ahead of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium in London, Sunday Oct. 1, 2017. Saints players then stood when the anthem was played. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Despite the NFL potentially showing its hand last week, intimating that it could force players to stand during the national anthem, player protests continued, regardless, during Sunday’s games.

During the San Francisco 49ers matchup with the Washington Redskins—right outside of the nation’s capital, no less—six 49ers, along with one inactive player, knelt during the anthem, while Redskins’ defenders later celebrated their team’s victory by performing a “stop and frisk.”

As the Washington Post notes, the most difficult task at hand will be “finding a compromise that pleases fans and players alike rather than issuing a mandate as they consider whether to alter the game-day guidelines that say players ‘should’ stand for the anthem to something stronger.”

We know where the president and vice president stand on the issue—as well as some owners like the Dallas Cowboys’ Jerry Jones. We also know where Colin Kaepernick, the former 49ers quarterback who has now filed a grievance against NFL owners for collusion, stands.

While some voices are calling for a truce—i.e., Beer Summit Part II—it really all comes down to this week’s owners meeting. And any “solution” will likely only be the beginning.

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