NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced Wednesday that the league will be fining teams for any personnel that fail to stand for the national anthem. However, players will be allowed to stay in the locker rooms

The NFL has announced a new national anthem policy that requires all team personnel on the field to stand during The Star-Spangled Banner while allowing players the choice to remain in the locker room.

'This season, all league and team personnel shall stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem,' NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. 'Personnel who choose not to stand for the Anthem may stay in the locker room until after the Anthem has been performed.'

Beginning in 2009, the NFL required that all players be on the field during the national anthem.

Under the new rules, teams will be fined for any personnel on the field that fails to show what the league determines to be appropriate respect for the anthem. The teams are then free to fine their own personnel, including players, for protesting during the anthem. So while some teams could have a policy requiring everyone on the field to stand, other franchises could choose to pay the league fines while allowing its players to demonstrate during The Star-Spangled Banner.

The decision would put individual teams at the forefront of the ongoing controversy surrounding the peaceful demonstrations, which are aimed at raising awareness about inequality and police brutality against minorities.

The controversial issue exploded two years ago after then-San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick (center) refused to stand to protest inequality and police brutality

Currently, NFL regulations say that players 'should' stand for The Star-Spangled Banner

'It was unfortunate that on-field protests created a false perception among many that thousands of NFL players were unpatriotic,' Goodell said. 'This is not and was never the case.'

Initially, the NFL Players Association did not seem receptive to the policy changes.

'Maybe this new rule proposal that is being voted on is a "compromise" between the NFL office and club CEOs on various sides of the issue, but certainly not with player leadership,' wrote NFLPA spokesman George Atallah. 'We weren't there or part of the discussions.'

The NFLPA released an official statement Wednesday afternoon.

'The NFL chose to not consult the union in the development of this new "policy,"' read the statement. 'NFL players have shown their patriotism through their social activism, their community service, in support of our military and law enforcement and yes, through their protests to raise awareness about the issues they care about.

'The vote by NFL club CEOs today contradicts the statements made to our player leadership by Commissioner Roger Goodell and the Chairman of the NFL’s Management Council John Mara about the principles, values and patriotism of our League.

'Our union will review the new "policy" and challenge any aspect of it that is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement.'

According to an ESPN report, the idea had the support of 'at least 24 owners.'

One objector, New York Jets chairman Christopher Johnson, told Newsday that he would pay the league's fine, but not fine any of his players that choose to protest during the anthem.

The NFL Players Association was quick to point out that they were not consulted on the matter

'I do not like imposing any club-specific rules,' Johnson said. 'If somebody [on the Jets] takes a knee, that fine will be borne by the organization, by me, not the players.

'I never want to put restrictions on the speech of our players,' he continued. 'Do I prefer that they stand? Of course. But I understand if they felt the need to protest. There are some big, complicated issues that we’re all struggling with, and our players are on the front lines. I don’t want to come down on them like a ton of bricks, and I won’t.

'There will be no club fines or suspensions or any sort of repercussions. If the team gets fined, that’s just something I’ll have to bear.'

The issue exploded into a national debating point the past two seasons. Then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the anthem as a form of social protest beginning in 2016, and other players followed soon after.

NFLPA STATEMENT The NFL chose to not consult the union in the development of this new 'policy.' NFL players have shown their patriotism through their social activism, their community service, in support of our military and law enforcement and yes, through their protests to raise awareness about the issues they care about. The vote by NFL club CEOs today contradicts the statements made to our player leadership by Commissioner Roger Goodell and the Chairman of the NFL’s Management Council John Mara about the principles, values and patriotism of our League. Our union will review the new “policy” and challenge any aspect of it that is inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement. Advertisement

Last year, President Donald Trump ripped players who refused to stand for the anthem, and he called on the NFL to sanction protesters.

Not everyone was in favor of a team-by-team approach, which allows individual franchises to choose whether or not to fine players who protest on the field during the anthem.

On Tuesday, Detroit Lions president Ron Wood told the Detroit Free Press, 'My preference would be to find a solution that works for everybody and it's done at a league level.'

According to some who attended the league's meetings in Atlanta, the NFL did not come to Wednesday's decision easily.

'We have all the interests in every constituency that's involved here,' Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday. 'We recognize that with our visibility and the interest themselves, it's taken on a life of its own. With all of that, we have to be measured.'

Jones and the Cowboys were on the front lines of the controversy in September, after Trump called protesting players 'sons of b******' during a rally in Alabama.

Before their ensuing game, the Cowboys and Jones decided to kneel together on the field before rising as one for the entirety of the national anthem.

However, Trump made no reference to that distinction when tweeting about the incident the next morning: 'The booing at the NFL football game last night, when the entire Dallas team dropped to its knees, was the loudest I have ever heard. Great anger.'

Since then, Jones said his players 'will always stand' for the national anthem. In part, Jones explained, he was concerned that the protests were turning off existing and potential sponsors.

Prior to a game in September, the Dallas Cowboys took a knee before rising as a team to stand for the national anthem. Since then, owner Jerry Jones has vocally opposed the protests

Although the Cowboys were actually standing for the anthem, President Donald Trump still used the opportunity to suggest that fans were booing the team's decision to kneel together

JETS CHAIRMAN WON'T FINE PLAYERS FOR KNEELING DURING THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER By Alex Raskin, Sports News Editor for DailyMail.com The NFL was slammed by several prominent voices within the pro football on Wednesday after commissioner Roger Goodell touted a new policy aimed at ending the controversial protests during the national anthem by threatening teams with fines. Not only did the NFL Players Association accuse the league of failing to adhere to the collective bargaining agreement, but several owners weighed in on the side of players who wish to protest inequality and police brutality by refusing to stand during the national anthem. Chris Johnson (center) will not fine his players for protesting during the anthem The NFL's new rule, announced Wednesday in Atlanta, permits entire teams and individual players to choose to stay in the locker room during the national anthem, but calls for franchises to be fined for any mode of disrespect. The teams have the option of fining players who do anything deemed disrespectful while on the field when the anthem is being played. Since 2009, the NFL had required all team personnel be on the field during the anthem. New York Jets chairman Christopher Johnson did vote did vote with the majority of owners on Wednesday, but that does not mean he will stop players from protesting. Instead, Johnson said the Jets will cover any fines the league levies against them but will not respond by then fining the protesting individuals. 'I do not like imposing any club-specific rules,' Johnson told Newsday. 'If somebody [on the Jets] takes a knee, that fine will be borne by the organization, by me, not the players. I never want to put restrictions on the speech of our players. 'Do I prefer that they stand? Of course,' he continued. 'But I understand if they felt the need to protest. There are some big, complicated issues that we're all struggling with, and our players are on the front lines. I don't want to come down on them like a ton of bricks, and I won't. There will be no club fines or suspensions or any sort of repercussions. If the team gets fined, that's just something I'll have to bear.' Another owner, San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York, said he abstained from an otherwise unanimous vote on the final day of the owner's meetings because he felt players and officials should have direct input on the matter. Advertisement

Both Eric Reid (right) and Colin Kaepernick (center) have sued the NFL owners for collusion, accusing the league of retaliating against them for their peaceful demonstrations

Kaepernick has not played since 2016 and filed a collusion case against NFL owners alleging a concerted effort was made to keep him out of football. Former teammate Eric Reid, a safety with the 49ers and unrestricted free agent, is following suit.

Reid, who joined Kaepernick in kneeling to bring attention to social injustice, visited only one team - the Cincinnati Bengals - and was asked if he would continue to kneel during the anthem by team ownership.

Kaepernick had a visit scheduled with the Seattle Seahawks - the only team to host Kaepernick in 2017 - but it was postponed because management wanted greater clarity on Kaepernick's intentions during pregame.

NFL games remain among the most watched programming on television, but ratings took another significant dip during the 2017 regular season amidst the controversial protests.

The average audience was 14.9 million viewers per game, down 9.7 percent from 16.5 million viewers in the 2016 regular season, according to Nielsen. The 2016 viewership was down eight percent from the previous year.

President Donald Trump congratulated NASCAR on its attitude toward the anthem

However, NBC's Sunday Night Football remained the season's ratings king for the seventh straight year, according to Nielsen. That beats the previous record set by Fox's 'American Idol' between 2005-06 and 2010-11.

The Sunday Night football games averaged 18.2 million TV viewers in 2017, a 29 percent margin over the runner-up: CBS's 'Thursday Night Football'

On Monday, when welcoming stock car driver Martin Truex Jr. and his team to the White House, Trump again raised the topic of anthem protests.

'One thing I love about NASCAR is they do indeed stand for the playing of the National Anthem. They do indeed,' Trump said.

'Somebody said "maybe you shouldn't say that, it'll be controversial" and I said "that's okay, NASCAR's not going to mind it at all." Right fellas? They don't mind it at all,' Trump added.

Despite the President's enthusiasm for NASCAR and its attitude towards the national anthem, the sport's ratings have plummeted around 28 percent over the last two years, according to Forbes.

The NFL Players Association responded Wednesday afternoon