NFL officials have spoken to veteran players and sought guidance on the reason for the protestsGETTY IMAGES
NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith said that despite the NFL’s push to "reach a resolution on its national anthem policy before the regular season kicks off," the union would "support maintaining the current standstill throughout the season," according to Jason Reid of THE UNDEFEATED. Optimistic about the NFLPA's "ongoing dialogue with the commissioner’s office," Smith has "no interest in meeting a contrived deadline." He would prefer to have owners "support players as both sides develop a workable anthem policy, taking more time to build trust as they navigate complex matters of race relations and social justice." Smith said, "I don’t believe we should have a drop-dead day. These are intractable issues that players feel passionately about." He added, "There should be order. There should be control. But ... why is it such a bad thing for owners and league officials to hear directly from players who are protesting? Why is it such a bad thing to have a continued discussion about how the league supports its players who are supporting these issues?" Reid noted NFL officials have "spoken with veteran players about their reasons for protesting" during the anthem and "sought their guidance on what steps to take next." Smith said, "There have been times when we have tried to engage the league on reaching mutually acceptable solutions and they’ve chosen not to do that. This is one of the first times where they have tried to seek a mutual solution. I think it’s positive" (THEUNDEFEATED.com, 8/14).
STUCK IN THE SITUATION: The Undefeated's Reid said the NFL hoped that by instituting the anthem policy back in May, on the eve of the season, this "would be no longer a discussion, it would no longer be creating headlines." Reid: "As we see, it's clearly creating discussion, it's clearly still creating headlines." The league is trying to "find some path forward." Reid: "I don't see what the path forward is if the path forward for the league includes some version of this policy that they tried to implement. ... We're in a place right now where players feel that this is just wrong and they don't want to bend to the league" ("OTL," ESPN, 8/13). In Tampa, Greg Auman noted Pro Football HOFer Tony Dungy "hopes both sides can come together by listening to why players care enough to choose to protest." Dungy said, "We really have to understand what these athletes are trying to do." He added, "These guys see some things going on in their communities, and they're trying to make the situation better. We can debate whether they should do that or when they should do it, but these guys are very, very patriotic. They're doing it because they care." Dungy said that his "disappointment with the NFL is that the league hasn't done more to give players a forum to talk about what bothers them" (TAMPABAY.com, 8/14).
CORNERING THE CONTROVERSY: Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey in a Q&A with GQ's Clay Skipper, conducted earlier this summer, said what people "don't understand" about the anthem issue is that in high school and college, players "never came out for the anthem." Ramsey said, "We were always inside still getting ready. And even now, they be rushing us out of the locker room like, 'Come on. We gotta go,' when half the time, half of us not even ready." Ramsey also said there would be a "fair share of people not going out" for the anthem this season. Ramsey was one of four players to stay in the locker room during the anthem ahead of Thursday's preseason game against the Saints, and said, "I'll probably not go out. I'll probably just stay in and get ready for the game." More Ramsey: "The NFL's just missing it right now. They're making it about what it's not really about. It's not about: we don't love America; it's not about not respecting the flag. That's not what it's about at all" (GQ.com, 8/15). CBS Sports' Amy Trask said every person involved with the NFL has a "common interest: that the league thrive and everything should be done with communication, cooperation, collaboration." Trask: "That right there should be a role for everybody in making things work together." Michael Strahan said, "I agree a hundred percent. Right now, there is no communication between ownership and player, no players' association, at all" ("We Need To Talk," CBSSN, 8/14).
FUEL TO THE FIRE: PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio noted the NFL has "filed a motion for summary judgment in the collusion case filed by Colin Kaepernick, with the goal of getting the claim thrown out in lieu of a full-blown trial." It is "unclear" when arbitrator Stephen Burbank will issue a ruling, but with only 22 days until the start of the regular season, the NFL "should be bracing for the possibility that the motion will be denied as the season is about to begin." The league needs to be "very concerned that a denial of its effort to defeat Kaepernick’s collusion case could embolden more players to take a stand, just in time for Week One" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 8/14).
