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Al Jazeera reports
The National Football League (NFL) announced a new policy that will fine teams an undetermined amount if players on the field fail to stand during the national anthem.
[...] The new policy does not require players be present during the anthem, allowing those who wish to protest and not attend the ceremonial act to remain in the locker room.
Players said they were not consulted and threatened to challenge the policy in the courts. A statement by the NFL Players Association said its athletes had shown ample patriotism by way of their social activism and community support initiatives.
[...] New York Jets chairman Christopher Johnson said he supported the measure out of obligation to the membership, but said players can take a knee or perform another type of protest without fear of repercussion from the team. He will pay their fines.
"If somebody [on the Jets] takes a knee, that fine will be borne by the organisation, by me, not the players. I never want to put restrictions on the speech of our players," Johnson said.
New York Magazine notes
The monetary risk to Johnson isn't huge, since no Jets players took a knee last season. [...] Johnson is currently acting as owner of the team while his brother, Woody Johnson, serves as Trump's ambassador to Britain.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bzipitidoo on Sunday May 27 2018, @04:28AM
This whole controversy about kneeling during the national anthem is so ridiculous. I had no idea it would be such a masterful trolling that would rile up a bunch of fake patriots into demanding harsh punishment, oppression, and suppression-- the very things this country was created to oppose. Their behavior is a national embarrassment. No one got hurt or even threatened, no guns were waved around, no shots fired, no property damaged, no flag was burned or soiled. No one was so much as delayed 5 seconds or otherwise even slightly inconvenienced. But they're screaming for blood anyway.
What's so fake about this supposedly nationalistic outburst is that their real agenda is racism, not nationalism. They're just trying to hide their racism behind fake concern for respect for the flag, a far more demeaning misuse of it than anything the players did.
As for the NFL owners, as a group they're a bunch of cowardly scum who don't give a crap about nationalism or racism. They're only interested in money, happy to pander to the public on a trivial matter such as this. You may be sure the sole purpose of this new "rule" is to suck up to their racist football fans. Good on the Jets for bucking the rest of the NFL on this, but it's a modest and small move. Now, if the Jets CEO would kneel during the anthem at the next game, that would be more impressive.