NFL: No, We Didn’t Decide on Banning Kneeling During National Anthem

Hours after a Wednesday morning tweet by President Trump said otherwise, the National Football League put out a statement clarifying that the organization has yet to make a decision regarding its position on players protesting while the pre-game national anthem is playing. The NFL said Commissioner Roger Goodell has been meeting with athletes, law enforcement, and community members and that the league plans to work with athletes before announcing an official position. “Commentary this morning about the commissioner’s position on the anthem is not accurate,” it states. “As we said yesterday, there will be a discussion of these issues at the owners meeting next week. The NFL is doing the hard work of trying to move from protest to progress, working to bring people together.” Trump tweeted this morning that, “Roger Goodell of the NFL is finally demanding that all players STAND for our great National Anthem.” On Tuesday, the NFL said it would consider a rule banning players from kneeling when its owners meet.