The NFL has finally had enough. I guess they saw attendance fall so drastically in some stadiums, they had to do something:
New NFL policy: Teams to be fined if players kneel during anthem
The NFL announced Wednesday that all players who are on the field when the national anthem is heard before a game must stand — or they can choose to remain in the locker room without penalty.
The league's teams agreed unanimously to the new policy during a spring meeting in Atlanta, and they will be subject to a fine if a player disobeys, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at a news conference.
While the move is in response to dozens of players over the past year kneeling as a form of protest over social justice issues, the guidelines aren't specific about what constitutes a sign of disrespect directed toward the anthem. It was also unclear the amount of a fine.
"All 32 clubs want to make sure that during the moment of the anthem and the flag, that that is a very important moment for a lot of us as a league, as clubs and (for) our country, and it's a moment we want to make sure is done in a respectful fashion," Goodell said.
"It was unfortunate that on-field protests created a false perception among many that thousands of NFL players were unpatriotic. This is not and was never the case," the league also said in a statement announcing the new policy.
The union representing players lashed out at the league's decision, tweeting that it had not been consulted about the rule change.
"The NFL chose not to consult the union in the development of this new 'policy,'" the NFL Players Association said in its statement. "NFL players have shown their patriotism through their social activism, their community service, in support of our military and law enforcement and yes, through their protests to raise awareness about the issues they care about."
Goodell claimed hundreds of players were asked for their input.
The controversy over players kneeling during "The Star-Spangled Banner" has raged since 2016, when then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first refused to stand as a lone protest against police brutality and racial oppression.
Eventually, some teammates joined him. Other players didn't kneel but raised their firsts in silent solidarity.
"To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way," Kaepernick told NFL Media in the late summer of 2016. "There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
The take-a-knee movement has been criticized by President Donald Trump, who said in September that he felt "ashamed" by "disgraceful" NFL-wide protests and the disrespect being shown to U.S. military members.
And Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday afternoon tweeted a news report about the policy change with only the comment "#Winning."
But not everyone was in support.
Former Giants defensive tackle Dominique Hamilton tweeted that the NFL remains majority black, so the power is in the players' hands: "If united and didn't take the field at all, it would upset a lot of people and a lot of executives."
Sage Rosenfels, an NFL quarterback from 2001 to 2012, mocked the league's decision by tweeting that fans shouldn't be allowed to buy stadium concessions while the anthem plays