NFL to fine teams if players kneel during US national anthem

Buffalo Bills players take a knee during the playing of the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos in New York
AP
Sophie Williams23 May 2018

The NFLwill fine teams if players on the pitch kneel for the US national anthem under new rules announced today.

The American football league said players can stay in the locker room during the Star Spangled Banner if they do not wish to stand.

It also pledged to "impose appropriate discipline on league personnel who do not stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem".​

In a statement, commissioner Roger Goodell said: "It was unfortunate that on-field protests created a false perception among many that thousands of NFL players were unpatriotic. This is not and was never the case."

NFL kneeling row - In pictures

1/23

Some NFL players chose to kneel during the national anthem last year to protest police shootings of unarmed black men.

Donald Trump waded into the debate branding those that took part "unpatriotic".

During a rally in September last year, he said: "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a b**** off the field right now. Out. He's fired. He's fired'. Wouldn't you love it?"

Mr Trump's remarks provoked team owners and the NFL to stridently defend the sport and its players.

The NFL Player's Association (NFLPA) said it may challenge the new policy.

​NFLPA said in a statement: "Our union will review the new 'policy' and challenge any aspect of it that is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement."

Across the country last year, players took a knee as the national anthem was played with others standing arm in arm in solidarity.

The player's union said that NFL players have "shown their patriotism through their social activism, their community service, in support of our military and law enforcement and yes, through their protests to raise awareness about the issues they care about."

There had been previous rumours that the NFL would issue a 15 yard penalty for kneeling however this was not carried out.

Additional reporting by Press Association.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT