Ever since Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem during the 2016 season, the NFL has been trying to figure out how it wants to deal with players who protest racial and social injustice during the playing of the national anthem.
And according to The MMQB’s Albert Breer, the owners met in private Tuesday and one of the proposed ideas could see teams being assessed a penalty if players kneel.
“An idea being floated in the room goes like this: It would be up to the home team on whether both teams come out of the locker room for the anthem, and, should teams come out, 15-yard penalties could be assessed for kneeling,” Breer writes.
First of all, this is a ridiculous idea on multiple levels.
The NFL already has a public relations issue going on, with Colin Kaepernick suing the league for collusion to keep him out of it. And recent reports suggest that Kaepernick’s unemployment is not due to the perception of his talent level.
It’s also absurd to give a team a penalty if one of its players chooses to exercise his right to silently protest. There’s next to zero chance that this rule, or one like it, goes into effect, but the fact that it even was suggested is laughable.
