Today, the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that owners voted to fine teams with players who do not stand during the national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner.” The owners made the decision while in Atlanta on their annual spring meeting. Goodell also stated that the caveat to this new policy was that any personnel – who wishes not to stand – can be allowed to remain in the locker room without being penalized. “This season, all league and team personnel shall stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem,” Goodell said in a statement. “Personnel who choose not to stand for the anthem may stay in the locker room until after the anthem has been performed.” Each NFL team will have the ability to discipline players as they see fit. However, the team itself will face paying a fine if players are not standing during the anthem. The new policy will go into effect at that start of the 2018-2019 season. The NFL national anthem controversy began in August 2016 when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick declined to stand for the national anthem. President Trump, who has uncontrollable Twitter fingers, expressed that NFL owners should fire players who don’t stand for the anthem. Source: People
