Civil rights groups urge NFL to reverse rule requiring players to stand for national anthem

Show Caption Hide Caption What you need to know about the NFL's new national anthem policy SportsPulse: NFL insider Mike Jones breaks down the new national anthem policy and how owners, fans and players are reacting to it.

WASHINGTON – National civil rights groups called on the NFL Monday to reverse its decision to punish players who kneel during the national anthem and fine teams whose players don't comply, saying the peaceful protests are what the American flag represents.

The groups, which include some of the country's biggest and oldest civil rights organizations, slammed the NFL’s recent decision in a letter sent to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

“This policy represses peaceful, non-disruptive protest of police violence against unarmed African Americans and other people of color,” the groups wrote in a letter provided to USA TODAY. “It is disappointing that a league built on grit and competition lacks the constitution to stomach a call for basic equality and fairness.”

The groups are also asking to meet with Goodell in upcoming weeks in hopes of getting the league to abandon its new rule.

"We think that the league’s policy puts them on the wrong side of history,'' said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Under the league’s revised policy announced last month, players and personnel on the field must stand during the national anthem. Those who want to can stay off the field, including in the locker room, until the anthem is finished. Players had been required to be on the field during the anthem.

The policy also allows franchises to develop their own policies, which could include fining players who protest by not standing.

The league could impose fines against a team if a player or representative on the sideline doesn’t stand or “show respect” during the anthem.

“We want people to be respectful to the national anthem,” Goodell said at press conference in May announcing the decision. “We want people to stand, that’s all personnel, and make sure they treat this moment in a respectful fashion. That’s something we think we owe. We have been very sensitive in making sure we give players choices, but we do believe that that moment is important and one we are going to focus on.”

The move comes after other players joined the effort of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who in previous years chose to kneel during the national anthem as a form of protest against police brutality and racial inequality against people of color.

The issue has sparked national debate, including among civil rights groups.

“As national organizations we are uniting to make clear that we stand with those players who chose to use their platform to call attention to ongoing police shootings of unarmed people in our country," Clarke said. “This is an issue that is not going away and will remain the subject of intense national interest."

President Trump has repeatedly criticized players for kneeling during the anthem calling it unpatriotic and disrespectful to the flag. He has called for NFL owners to fire players who protest by kneeling.

Last Friday he said players who protest don’t have any “real issues.”

"They're all saying, 'Oh, it has nothing to do with the flag, it's the way we've been treated,'" Trump said in an interview with Fox News. "In the meantime, they're making $15 million a year. Look, I'm all for the athletes. I think it's great. I love athletics. I love sports. But they shouldn't get the politics involved."

Some black athletes have said they would not attend championship celebrations traditionally held at the White House.

Trump uninvited the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House earlier this month to celebrate its Super Bowl championship when many players said they wouldn't attend. Some players who didn't want to go to the White House spent Friday doing community service at a local charter school in Philadelphia.

Civil rights groups argue the protests aim to raise awareness about police brutality, particularly against people of color. They said in a democracy athletes should be able to peacefully protest against that violence.

“Compelling players to stand for the national anthem erodes the values that the flag represents and tells the world that the NFL does not care about racial justice,” they wrote to Goodell.

In addition to the Lawyers’ Committee, other groups calling for a reversal, include the NAACP, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, the American Civil Liberties Union (the ACLU), the National Immigration Law Center, the National Action Network, the Advancement Project and the Arab American Institute.

A recent Quinnipiac University national poll found 58 percent of voters don’t think kneeling is unpatriotic compared to 35 percent who do.

The poll also found voters 53 percent to 43 percent think professional athletes have the right to protest on the playing field or court. The response was divided along party lines with Democrats saying they had the right to protest 82 percent to 16 percent and Republicans saying they don’t have the right 81 percent to 16 percent.

The June 8 poll had a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points.

A little more than half – 51 percent to 42 percent – agree with the NFL rule requiring players on the field to stand, but 51 percent oppose fining the teams if players don’t stand during the anthem, according to the poll.

Clarke said the league is very diverse and should demonstrate greater sensitivity to such issues.

She said that there could be a disconnect between the league and the players. Many have had first-hand experiences with racial profiling.

In the letter to Goodell, the civil rights groups also took the NFL to task for its lack of diversity among team owners citing statistics that show 75 percent of the players are black, while 75 percent of the head coaches and all of the team CEOs and presidents are white.

“The recent decision to mandate the silence of players wishing to demonstrate for civil rights is even more appalling against the backdrop of the glaring racial disparities in the NFL,” they wrote.