In the wake of protests drawing headlines across the country, the NFL asked a group of players to attend today’s owners’ meeting. But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the owners didn’t ask the player to change their anthem stance.
Asked by Sal Paolantonio if the league asked the players to commit to stand for the anthem, Goodell said that was not the purpose of the meeting.
“We did not ask for that, Sal. No. We spent today talking about the issues that our players have been trying to bring attention to, about issues in our communities to make our communities better. I think we all agree there’s nothing more important than getting back into our communities and trying to make our communities better. That was the entire focus today,” Goodell said.
Players have asked the league to address their concerns about criminal justice issues, and the league has lent its support to a bill before Congress on reforming criminal sentencing. That, and not the national anthem, has been the focus today.