NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "held a summit about national anthem protests with prominent owners and players" at the league's HQ on Tuesday night, according to Dan Duggan of the Newark STAR-LEDGER. About 20-25 people attended the two-hour meeting, including the Giants' John Mara, Patriots' Robert Kraft, Steelers' Art Rooney II, Eagles' Jeffrey Lurie, Browns' Jimmy and Dee Haslam, Dolphins' Stephen Ross, Jaguars' Shahid Khan and Cardinals' Bill Bidwill. NFL Exec VP/Football Operations Troy Vincent, Eagles DE Chris Long, Patriots WR Matthew Slater, Patriots S Devin McCourty, Browns CB Jason McCourty, Giants LB Jonathan Casillas and Browns LB Christian Kirksey also "participated in the round table discussion." Casillas said, "We were basically talking about what we're going to do to move forward and how we're going to approach the whole kneeling situation. It was a whole bunch of opinions shared. There was nothing we decided we're going to do collectively." He said that Goodell "didn't push for players to stop kneeling during the anthem." Casillas: "He was kind of letting the owners and us talk more than anything. I know the owners, for sure, don't want us kneeling. Not because of what the message is. It's the message that's getting across. People are totally misconstruing the kneeling thing, from the beginning" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 9/29). More Casillas: "You got to see opinions from the owners and from the players as well. Stuff like that is very good, very proactive. Thank Trump for saying what he said because without him saying that, (1) the whole league wouldn't have been so collectively together, (2) we would've never had a meeting." Devin McCourty said, "It was just a great situation and opportunity that we could all sit there and just talk, and throw everything out there. I think both sides got to walk away with an understanding of how each other felt." McCourty said it was not a negotiation, but "a big dialogue," which was "what a lot of guys have been trying to start" (ESPN.com, 9/28).
UNIFIED FRONT: Kirksey said, "The NFL is special. Trump saying what he got to say is just uniting us, player-wise, ownership. As long as we stay together, Trump can say whatever he wants to say" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 9/29). McCourty added, "We’ve got to make sure this whole thing doesn’t turn into, ‘The NFL vs. Donald Trump.' ... As players we have an agenda of what we think can be done better, and we’re trying to use our platform and I think we have to stick to that" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/29).
BALANCING ACT: In N.Y., Ken Belson reports the issue has "pushed the NFL into an unusual dilemma of balancing respect for the wishes of its players, who often are critical of the owners on issues of health and labor agreements, while taking into account some signs of a backlash among many fans." It is "clear from interviews with NFL officials and more than a dozen teams that owners and team executives would prefer that the protests end, both for personal reasons and because it risks inflaming the president, who has been a friend and ally of many of the owners, and alienating fans and sponsors." However, they also are "wary of appearing heavy handed and upsetting the image of unity that the league sought to project last weekend." What has emerged in meetings across the league this week is a "strategy of not pushing back at an unpredictable president." Instead, the players, with input from team officials, are "seeking to shape a message that shows their desire to stand together while still addressing the original intent of the protests: raising awareness of police brutality against African Americans and racism in general." Falcons Owner Arthur Blank: “The players have a right to speak their minds, but on the other hand, it can make it difficult because there isn’t anyone in America who doesn’t want to honor America." Belson notes Goodell and his advisers have "looked to soothe sponsors’ concerns, speaking to them from league headquarters in Manhattan." The league and its owners also are "afraid that fighting the president will distract their players, who are already spending hours discussing how or whether to protest, from preparing for games or working out" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/29).
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Bennett has sat during the playing of the national anthem at every game this season
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THE BIRDS' WORDS: Seahawks DE Michael Bennett said, "Is there really a time that we shouldn’t be talking about equality? Is there really a time that we shouldn’t be talking about racial discrimination? Is there really a time we shouldn’t be talking about women’s equality? Is there really a time that we shouldn’t be talking about water issues for Native American people? When is there not a time to talk about that? We find time to talk about the Kardashians. We find time to talk about fantasy football" (SEATTLE TIMES, 9/29). Seahawks QB Russell Wilson said, "Racism in America right now is very, very real. Is it as strong as it was in the 1800s? I don’t know. I don’t think so probably because of slavery. But what’s going on with our communities and everything else, it’s really important for us to be able to make a difference in our communities" (SEATTLE TIMES, 9/29).
THE DEATH OF NUANCE? In Pittsburgh, Stephen Nesbitt writes the anthem controversy is "another illustration that there seems to be little room for nuance, little patience to parse intentions and interpretations in public discourse." In an age when politics "are as polar as ever, middle ground is missing" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 9/29). In Boston, Diane Hessan notes some fans are "calling for a boycott of the NFL this weekend." There are four reasons being presented: patriotism, NFL leaders' "hypocrisy," the feeling "liberals celebrate free speech, but not when it's conservatives who are speaking" and the fact they "want players to be more responsible in how they protest injustice" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/29). But in St. Paul, Joe Soucheray writes it is "no more disrespectful for a player to kneel than it is for the league, as a greedy corporate empire, to wrap itself and its sins in the flag. It is red meat for the angry at heart" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 9/29).
WATCH THAT MOUTH: In N.Y., Ari Gilberg notes a group of mothers of NFL players have "sent an open letter to President Trump asking him to put an end to his 'divisive language.'" The letter said, "It saddens the organization to know that President Donald Trump would make our sons -- as well as their mothers -- the target of inflammatory, offensive comments that are intended to promote anger and hatred, depleting them of their heritage and self-identity" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/29). The GLOBE & MAIL's Tony Keller writes Trump "may have transformed a vague protest against racism, in which few players participated, into a very specific protest against the President, with all of the NFL taking part." That "might yet turn out very badly for Trump." But "posing as the opponent of the cultural elites has served him well" (GLOBE & MAIL, 9/29).
