The NFL is in big trouble.
Ratings are down and the league is scrambling to retreat from the anti-Americanism that now defines them.
But one letter just shut down the NFL anthem protesters for good.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is crying “uncle” in the fight with Donald Trump over the national anthem.
He sent a letter to all 32 teams stating that it is the league’s strong preference that everyone stands for the anthem.
Goodell also said they would address this issue at the league meetings next week.
The Kansas City Star reports:
“NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday wrote a letter to all 32 league owners regarding the protests that have taken place during the national anthem, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
In the letter, which Schefter shared on his Facebook page, Goodell wrote that the “current dispute over the National Anthem is threatening to erode the unifying power of our game, and is now dividing us, and our players, from many fans across the country.”
Last year, former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat down and later took a knee during the playing of the national anthem as protest against racial injustice. More players have joined the protests and President Donald Trump spoke out against the activity in September and has continued to do so…
…Goodell would like players to stand, but the national anthem is not mentioned in the NFL rulebook. However, players “should” stand for the anthem, according to the league’s game operation manual.
“Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem,” Goodell wrote. “It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us. We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues. The controversy over the Anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players.”
JUST IN: In letter to NFL owners, Roger Goodell says: "We believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem." pic.twitter.com/iveGOQgJnz
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 10, 2017
Ever since Donald Trump began defending the flag over anti-American NFL player protests, the league’s popularity and ratings started to sink.
The league is panicking and Pro Football Talk reports that they may even push for a rule that requires all players to now stand for the national anthem:
“During a media conference call on Tuesday, NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart carefully tiptoed around the issue, citing language that says players “should” stand for the anthem but stopping short of stating that teams may not force them to stand. Lockhart also said that the issue will be “front and center on the agenda” for next week’s quarterly ownership meeting, and that the rule possibly could be changed.
If it changes (for example, a revision of “should” to “must”), the next question becomes whether the NFL must engage in collective bargaining regarding the adjustment. Said Lockhart on that point, “I don’t believe that the anthem per se is an issue that’s collective bargained.”
Donald Trump scored a decisive victory over the NFL and their America-hating players.
Fans sided with Trump and turned on the league.
Now the NFL is desperate to contain the damage, but it may be too late.
The fans that left may never come back.
