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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: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday May 30 2018, @01:01PM
Bullshit redefinition of authoritarianism, gewg_. "Owners" is not a job title for a government agency. It is a description of their relationship to the team. The team does not belong to the players. It belongs to the owner because the owner paid a fuckton of money for it. If they had paid a fuckton of money for it, they could call the shots. Since they did not, they're free to bitch but shot calling is not something they're entitled to do.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.