All NFL players should stand during the national anthem, the football league’s boss, Roger Goodell, said on Tuesday, as the controversy over protests against police brutality by players and their dispute with Donald Trump rumbled on.



In a letter to the NFL’s 32 teams, Goodell said a plan was under way to “move past” the debacle.

“Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the national anthem,” the commissioner wrote. “It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us.”

He added: “We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues. The controversy over the anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues.

“We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players.”

Although Goodell did not specify if and how the league plans to ensure that players stand during the anthem, his letter suggested the issue will be discussed during a series of regularly scheduled NFL meetings set to take place next week. Under current NFL policy, it is recommended that players stand during the national anthem but not required of them.

Goodell’s comments came as the ongoing controversy over players “taking a knee” during the anthem was seized upon again by Trump over the weekend. The president claimed to have instructed Vice-President Mike Pence to walk out of an NFL game on Sunday between the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers if and when players kneeled during the anthem.

While Trump subsequently praised Pence’s early exit, the move drew a backlash for being orchestrated by the White House at a reported cost of more than $200,000 to US taxpayers. Pence also came under fire for tweeting a photo of himself and his wife Karen donning Colts gear that was taken in 2014, furthering the notion that the moment was a planned publicity stunt.

Trump escalated his feud with the NFL on Tuesday by attacking the league on Twitter.

“Why is the NFL getting massive tax breaks while at the same time disrespecting our Anthem, Flag and Country? Change tax law!” the president tweeted.

Although the NFL headquarters once held tax-exempt status, as did other major professional sports leagues and trade associations, individual team owners were still required to pay federal taxes on all team revenue. The league office gave up its tax-free status in 2015, an NFL spokesman said in response to Trump on Tuesday.

Trump has nonetheless felt emboldened by his attacks on the NFL, despite drawing a torrent of criticism late last month for referring to players who kneeled during the national anthem as “sons of bitches” and calling for them to be fired. The protests, which have mostly comprised black athletes, were intended to draw attention to police brutality and the need for criminal justice reform.

The Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager, Jerry Jones, publicly sided with Trump on Sunday, stating in no uncertain terms that players would be penalized for protesting during the national anthem.

“If there’s anything that is disrespectful to the flag, then we will not play,” Jones said. “OK? Understand? If we are disrespecting the flag, then we won’t play. Period.”

While it remained unclear if the NFL was moving toward a rules change around the anthem, which is played just before each game, the White House threw its support behind the idea on Tuesday.

“I think we would certainly support the NFL coming out and asking players to stand, just as the president has done,” the White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, said at a press briefing. “We support the national anthem, the flag, and the men and women who fought to defend it. And our position hasn’t changed on that front. We’re glad to see the NFL taking positive steps in that direction.”

Later Trump took a swipe at professional athletes who have publicly vowed to boycott the White House. Greeting the Pittsburgh Penguins, winner of ice hockey’s Stanley Cup, the president began by saying: “By the way, everybody wanted to be here today and I know why.”

Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony to welcome Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, to the White House. Photograph: Doulie/Sipa USA/REX/Shutterstock

Accompanied by first lady Melania, it was the first time that Trump had hosted a sports team since the NFL controversy erupted. He did not make a direct reference to the flag or anthem but could not resist a bizarre political exchange with Ron Burkle, a California billionaire and co-owner of the Penguins.

“He’s a friend of mine for a long time, he’s a great, great negotiator,” Trump said, turning to Burkle, who grinned widely. “Ron, how about negotiating some of our horrible trade deals that they’ve made?… I really mean that. If you want to get involved in negotiating Nafta, I like it, because we’re renegotiating Nafta, Ron.”

Then Trump sought reassurance: “You’re not on the other side of Nafta, Ron, are you?” Burkle smiled and told him: “I am not.”

Later, the Penguins’ coach, Mike Sullivan, insisted that the visit had been non-political and there had been “zero” discussion of the issue with Trump. “We understand the circumstance surrounding this visit,” he told reporters outside the West Wing. “We’re very respectful of anyone’s right to protest or demonstrate as they see fit.”

Pressed by an African American journalist that there was an appearance of complicity, Sullivan replied: “Well, see, you’re suggesting that that’s the case. We don’t believe that. We’ve stated clearly from the get-go that our visit to the White House is non-political. Nobody’s choosing sides, nobody’s taking a stand, we are simply honoring our championship and the accomplishments of this group of players over the last two seasons.”