Just when you thought that the NFL National Anthem protests storyline was dying down, it’s back in the spotlight.


On Wednesday, at the NFL’s owners meetings in Atlanta, all 32 NFL owners voted to adopt a new policy that will prohibit players from kneeling during the national anthem. The league has tried to get around the protests – which originally started with Colin Kaepernick – by allowing players to stay inside the locker room during the pregame ceremony. [...]

Mark Daniels

Just when you thought that the NFL National Anthem protests storyline was dying down, it’s back in the spotlight.

On Wednesday, at the NFL’s owners meetings in Atlanta, all 32 NFL owners voted to adopt a new policy that will prohibit players from kneeling during the national anthem. The league has tried to get around the protests – which originally started with Colin Kaepernick – by allowing players to stay inside the locker room during the pregame ceremony.

However, according to the new rule, "all team and league personnel on the field shall stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem."

In the event that anyone decides to take a knee, or show any signs of protest, “a club will be fined by the League if its personnel are on the field and do not stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem.” The policy also allows each team to develop its own work rules and discipline to those who "do not stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem."

The new rule, which comes after the 2017 season which saw multiple players, including some Patriots, take a knee at times, has received mixed reviews from former and current players.

Devin McCourty, who was one of 17 Patriots players to take a knee before last season’s game against the Houston Texans, voiced his displeasure on both Twitter and Instagram. (The account is shared by him and his twin brother, Jason McCourty). Following the NFL’s announcement, two Philadelphia Eagles players – Malcolm Jenkins and Chris Long – took to social media to condemn the new rule. 

On McCourty’s Twitter page, he copied both Jenkins and Long’s statements and tweeted them out with a caption that read, “Couldn’t have said it better than @MalcolmJenkins and @JOEL9ONE so I won’t try I’ll just leave these here.”

Long said the NFL continues to “fall short” on the issue of players using their platform to raise awareness of social injustice.

"This is a fear of a diminished bottom line,” Long wrote. “It's also fear of a president turning his base against a corporation. This is not patriotism. Don't get it confused. These owners don't love America more than the players demonstrating and taking real action to improve it. It also lets you, the fan, know where our league stands."

Jenkins wrote about how he felt the NFL was trying to “thwart” players’ constitutional rights and vowed to let the rule "silence" him in his fight to draw attention to things like "racial inequality" in the United States.

McCourty also posted the two statements on Instagram with the captain, “current mood.” The post was liked by current Patriots Trey Flowers, David Andrews and Harvey Langi. Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones posted an emoji of a raised fist writing, “Really tho (sic)” under the statements.

In a statement, the NFL Players Association said the NFL never consulted the union before adopting the new policy. The NFLPA plans to review “and challenge any aspect of it that is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement.”

Former Patriots tackle Matt Light also blasted the policy, but for a different reason. Light told the Boston Herald he thinks the new rule is “absurd” and said he felt like the NFL was giving players a way to disrespect the American flag and members of the military.

“What they did was issue a statement saying we respect our men and women in the armed services, while at the same time, giving their players the ability to not respect the men and women in the armed services. To me, they outlined a much worse scenario,” Light said.

It certainly doesn’t look like this issue will go away any time soon.

Last season, the Patriots players who knelt did so following disparaging comments from President Donald Trump regarding NFL players protesting. Last year, Trump called for fans to boycott the NFL over the protests. On Wednesday, the president praised the NFL’s new rule, but had harsh words for those players not willing to abide by the policy.

“You have to stand proudly for the National Anthem,” Trump said. “You shouldn’t be playing, you shouldn’t be there. Maybe they shouldn’t be in the country… the NFL owners did the right thing.”

The Patriots declined to issue a statement on the league’s new policy when contacted by the Providence Journal.