The NFL is considering the introduction of a rule that would punish teams if their players chose to kneel during the national anthem, a common protest against inequality and police brutality in the United States of America.
While the league tried to buy off protesting players in the autumn by commiting to a seven-year, $89m 'social justice partnership' aimed at promoting good causes, the more extreme franchise owners have now proposed rules that would clamp down on peaceful protest at the team owners' meeting in Atlanta this week.
A three-hour meeting on Tuesday, first reported by Sports Illustrated, included the idea of a 15-yard penalty being handed to a team on kick-off if a player had knelt during the anthem.
The only way for those protesting to avoid bringing punishment on their team would be when playing at home, with a proposal for the home franchise to decide whether teams emerge for the anthem or whether they stay in the locker room for it, as some did at the end of last season.
The league is currently being sued separately by Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid, former San Francisco 49ers players who began the kneeling movement in 2016. The pair allege that NFL teams have colluded to keep them unemployed, with reports last week claiming depositions had proven that several teams had scouting reports grading Kaepernick as a starter-quality player.
While the proposals floated to curb protests are yet to be ratified, the NFL team owners are of a predominantly conservative background and are keen to prevent players alienating fans or, more importantly, drawing more fire from President Donald Trump, who spent much of last season taking shots at the league on social media and sent Vice President Mike Pence to a game in Indianapolis with the sole intention of having him walk out when a player knelt for the anthem.
