NFL players who have been protesting social issues during the national anthem are hoping to secure a formal mediation with the NFL, according to ESPN. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began the protests last season by kneeling during the anthem to bring awareness to police brutality, has also agreed to attend the meeting.
While the league hasn’t accepted the request yet, the tentative date would be set for Nov. 13. The meeting would give players an opportunity to discuss the issues they are protesting, along with Kaepernick’s inability to gain employment in the NFL.
This would be a tangible step to solve an issue that has taken front stage in the NFL this season. The formal mediation would not be binding, per ESPN, but could be overseen by someone with “extensive legal credentials.”
A meeting where players can address social and civil rights issues to executives won’t cure all that ails the NFL right now, but it’s a formidable step in the right direction. The league needs to listen, and this is the best way for that to happen at the moment. The fact that Kaepernick has agreed to attend in a sign of solidarity only makes the reasons for having it more important, and the league would be smart to put its full-throated support behind a mediation sooner rather than later.
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