U.S. Soccer BOD Votes To Repeal Policy On Kneeling

The U.S. Soccer BOD has voted to repeal a '17 policy that "required national team players to stand during the national anthem." A source said that new USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone "first broached repealing the rule last week, calling for the special meeting of the board." Three players were "invited on the call to share their opinions." The U.S. Soccer Athletes' Council called on the federation to "apologize for the policy" that had been in place. The USWNT Players Association "also called for an apology from U.S. Soccer and a plan to substantively address racial inequality" (AP, 6/10).

USWNT F Megan Rapinoe, whose kneeling during the anthem prompted U.S. Soccer's '17 rule, said, "As soon as I started kneeling, people were like, ‘What the hell?! Where did this come from?’ I'm from a pretty small conservative area in Northern California. But honestly, it came from my mom and my dad. Both of them very much taught me that you just help people, period” (“The Late Show,” CBS, 6/10).