YAHOO SPORTS' Daniel Roberts wrote the face-off between the NFL and NFLPA over the new anthem policy "guarantees that the next NFL season will be another one marred by political controversy." The issue "could get resolved before the season kicks off in September," but there are "strong words" in the NFLPA's statement filed along with their grievance against the league's policy. It is "hard to believe the protests will not continue in some shape or form" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/11).
STICK TO FOOTBALL? In Toronto, Morgan Campbell writes Cardinals President Michael Bidwill's vocal support of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh "shows NFL owners will gladly mix football with polarizing politics, provided those politics veer conservative," like Bidwill's, and not "pro-black, like exiled quarterback Colin Kaepernick's." The story on the Cardinals' website "leverages the team's audience and social media reach to rally public support" for President Trump's Supreme Court nominee. A private Twitter account in Bidwill's name "boasts just 19 followers, compared with 917,000 for the team account that posted a link to his pro-Kavanaugh interview" (TORONTO STAR, 7/12).
TELLING THE TRUTH: In Edmonton, Dan Barnes noted the CFL is "reporting a significant drop in concussions" between '15-17. Concussions during the regular season "totaled 44" in '14 and 45 in '15, then "dropped to 32" in '16 and 33 this past season. CFL VP/Football Operations & Player Safety Kevin McDonald said, "I'm happy to say our concussion numbers have gone down. But it could be that more guys just aren't telling us, which is why we focus on education in training camp" (EDMONTON SUN, 7/11).
