Miami Dolphins players protesting on the field during the national anthem could face punishment _ which includes a suspension for as many as four games _ under a new team policy that was submitted to the NFL and is being discussed internally.
According to a nine-page disciplinary document that was provided to The Associated Press, there's a section called "Proper Anthem Conduct" and in it anthem protests are listed as conduct determined to be "detrimental to the club," which could lead to a paid or unpaid suspension, a fine or both.
The Dolphins' new anthem policy comes months after the NFL decided in May that teams would be allowed to fine players if they didn't stand during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" while they were on the field. Players who wish to not stand may remain in the locker room during the song.
The NFL left it up to teams to determine how they would handle punishment for players and coaches who violated this new rule. The new league rules were challenged this month in a grievance by the players union.
According to a league source, each NFL team is required to create a policy before the opening of training camp. Because Miami's rookies reported to camp on Wednesday the Dolphins were one of the first to submit that policy to the NFL.
However, the Dolphins have not created a hard and firm stance on the team's anthem policy, or punishments regarding players who violate it.
"We will address this issue once the season starts," a team source said on Thursday evening. "All options are still open."
The Dolphins, one of three teams that have had players protest during the national anthem for the previous two seasons, had adopted a similar rule last year, which forced three players _ receiver Kenny Stills, safety Michael Thomas and tight end Julius Thomas _ to stay inside the locker room or the tunnel during the national anthem.
That rule was created by coach Adam Gase, but he abandoned it in the final month of the season because the players complained it hindered their pregame preparation.
Stills, the only consistent protester that remains on Miami's roster following Michael Thomas' departure to Pittsburgh as a free agent and Julius Thomas' release this spring, hasn't addressed what he plans to do during the anthem this season, and sidestepped questions about the NFL's new policy when asked about it this summer.
The protests began in 2016 before a 49ers exhibition game, when Colin Kaepernick declined to stand in San Francisco as a push for social justice and campaign for racial equality and came in reaction to incidents of police brutality. Two years later it has become one of the most divisive issues in sports because some claim protesting during the anthem is unpatriotic.
Stills initially intended to stop kneeling back in 2017, and stood for the anthem in Miami's 19-17 season-opening win against the L.A. Chargers back in September. But that was the week before a Trump attack on NFL players, which he said motivated him to change his approach, setting an example for his teammates.
Dolphins owner Steve Ross, who initially supported his players protesting during the anthem back in 2016, has provided contradicting stands regarding the protests. Last year he stood in locked arms with the players before a 20-6 loss to the New York Jets as players protested against the comments made by President Donald Trump, who labeled protesting players "sons of b------" during a speech.
However, Ross has consistently pointed out that the cause for the protest has been hijacked by those claiming its unpatriotic.
"I do understand that the message has been changed," Stills said in May, referring to protesting players being labeled unpatriotic. "But I also understand that with the NFL being the most-watched sport in the United States and one of the most-watched sports in the world, they have an opportunity to kind of set the bar, set the standard to change the narrative and write the narrative however they want it to.
"I just feel like from the beginning, if the narrative would have been set one way and the league would have had our backs and really put the message out there the right way and tried to educate people on the work that we're doing and why we're doing it, we might be in a different place than we are right now."
In March, Ross said he would not make players stand during the anthem, refuting a report out of New York where he was recorded saying that the league would.
"I have no intention of forcing our players to stand during the anthem and I regret that my comments have been misconstrued," Ross said in that statement to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "I've shared my opinion with all our players: I'm passionate about the cause of social justice and I feel that kneeling is an ineffective tactic that alienates more people than it enlists.
"I know our players care about the military and law enforcement too because I've seen the same players who are fighting for social justice engaging positively with law enforcement and the military," said Ross, who has donated millions to the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality, an organization he started with the goal of using sports to create social change. "I care passionately that the message of social justice resonates far and wide and I will continue to support and fund efforts for those who fight for equality for all."
The NFL and the Players Coalition finalized a partnership last fall that runs through 2023 and dedicates close to $90 million for efforts and programs combatting social inequality. The partnership aims to work closely with players, teams and other groups in a new and expanded community improvement program that was agreed to in principle during the Fall League Meeting.
