In a statement about Tuesday’s meeting between the NFL, NFLPA, players and team owners in New York, the NFL and NFLPA said that everyone in the NFL community has “a tremendous respect” for the national anthem but it doesn’t sound like the anthem was a focal point of the meeting.
Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com reports that no rules changes regarding players being required to stand for the playing of the anthem were discussed and 49ers safety Eric Reid told Breer’s colleague Jenny Vrentas that the anthem was a small piece of what was discussed.
“I don’t think they can make a rule change,” Reid said. “The point of the meeting was to discuss these issues and how they are all of our issues.”
Reid, who began kneeling during the anthem last year, said that he plans to continue doing so.
While Judy Battista of NFL Media reports that she was told the meeting was the “best the communication has ever been between players and owners” and the focus on issues rather than the anthem suggests a desire to change the conversation, there were no tangible actions on either front mentioned in the statement released at its close.