For most, at least in league’s opening week, the plan is to make mention of any potential protests as part of their coverage, either from the commentators in the broadcast booth or the reporters working the sidelines.

Sean McManus, the chairman of CBS Sports, says he’s not giving any directives or orders to his broadcast teams and they’re free to discuss sideline protests as they see fit.

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“[If] they’ve got an opinion or a thought on it, they’re free to express it,” he said Wednesday. “I have said, however, that we’re there to broadcast the football game and not get involved in political or social issues. So I don’t think you’ll see a lot of commentary on the part of our commentary teams.”

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Tony Romo, the recently retired quarterback who is embarking on his first season in the CBS booth, is prepared to address the matter – and then move on and focus on the action.

“I don’t think it’s something we’ll go into great detail on,” he said. “I think people have talked about it long enough. I think that people don’t want to hear a lot about politics or religion on air. They want football, so we’ll stick more with that.”

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The networks dealt with the same issue last season. Saying he was protesting police brutality and racial inequality, quarterback Colin Kaepernick was the first to protest the national anthem at the start of the 2016 season. Even though he faced significant blowback and is currently out of a job, other players have continued the protests this year, especially following an incendiary white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month.

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If anything, the preseason has shown the movement might have some momentum entering the regular season, as the anthem protests have increased from week to week.

While players such as Oakland running back Marshawn Lynch and Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett have sat during the anthem this preseason, others, such as San Francisco safety Eric Reid and Philadelphia cornerback Ron Brooks, have opted to take a knee. Still others, such as Philadelphia safety Malcolm Jenkins and Los Angeles Rams linebacker Robert Quinn, have raised their fists in the air. A handful of white players — such as Philadelphia defensive lineman Chris Long and Seattle center Justin Britt — have shown their support by resting a hand on the shoulder of a protesting teammate.

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A dozen members of the Cleveland Browns took a knee together during their second preseason game, with five players resting a hand on a teammate’s shoulder. Five days later, in their next game, 30 members of the Browns locked arms during the anthem, by far the largest pregame demonstration to date.

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So network bosses know the protests likely will carry over into the regular season and have been discussing how to treat it on-air. Jay Rothman, ESPN’s vice president of production and the veteran “Monday Night Football” producer, says TV crews have a responsibility to show the protests, and to present them in the proper context. “Monday Night Football” opens its season in Minnesota on the 16th anniversary of 9/11. His crew has been working with the Vikings to include any pregame commemorative events the team has planned but also will keep an eye out for player protests.

“If you go back to 9/11 and think about it: 3,000 people died, 6,000 injured, hundreds of rescue workers lost. It was the greatest terrorist attack on our country. We feel good about showing it,” he said. “Should there be protests during that, I do think we have a responsibility to show it.”

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But rather than simply show the protests, Rothman wants his crews to talk to players and coaches so they can explain to viewers the feelings behind the protests – “the why,” as Rothman says.

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That is sure to rankle fans who have been turned off by the anthem protests and the attention they’ve received. McManus is plenty familiar with the backlash the protests have provoked and says it’s one of the reasons fans have cited for tuning out football games last season when ratings suffered, particularly early in the season. That’s not reason enough, he said, for his crews to ignore the protests entirely.

“Just because it might not be popular with the viewer at home doesn’t mean we’re not going to cover it,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that you do on television that may not be popular, but they’re important to do from a journalistic standpoint. If we think it’s important journalistically and we think it’s part of the story, I don’t want to tell them to do it or not to do it.”

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Network executives say that even if there’s a plan in place for Week 1, it could change by Week 2. If the protests continue, the news value could diminish, and the broadcast crews will adjust accordingly.

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“I question — just being fully transparent – when is there viewer fatigue and for how many causes?” Rothman said

Said McManus: “Week 1, I think it’s certainly going to be a story. If it’s still being done the same way in Week 4, 5 or 6, I’m not sure it still is a story. So we’ll make that decision as the season progresses.”