DirecTV is offering unprecedented refunds for those fans who want to cancel their NFL Sunday Ticket package, if they inform the company that they are doing so due to the recent protests during the national anthem, a source confirmed to ESPN.

Once the season starts, fans usually are stuck with their subscription, but AT&T;, which owns DirecTV, decided to change the policy due to the sensitivity of the issue. The price of the package, which allows fans to get out-of-market games, is about $280. Editor's Picks Rodgers wants fans to link arms during anthem Aaron Rodgers, encouraging Green Bay fans to join players in linking arms, says their actions are not a protest but about equality, and it appears all players will participate.

Panthers owner, captains discuss social issues Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson met with the team's captains Tuesday. The Charlotte Observer reports the meeting was to address concerns that Richardson's stance on protest prevented players from taking part. 1 Related

An AT&T; spokesperson declined to confirm the policy and said the company would have no numbers to share.

The exemption was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Roughly 180 players chose not to stand for the national anthem in Week 3, while three teams -- the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks -- did not come to the sidelines for the anthem. On Monday night, the Dallas Cowboys chose to kneel in unison before the anthem.

Players were emboldened after being challenged by President Donald Trump, who Friday night at a speech in Alabama, encouraged NFL owners to "fire" players who didn't stand for the national anthem.

The stance, which Trump continued to assert throughout the weekend, had the opposite effect. Almost all of the league's owners responded with statements affirming the players' right to protest, as players and executives went as far as to coordinate their actions.

Not everyone was happy. At some stadiums, fans booed the players. Others took to Twitter to say they were canceling their Sunday Ticket subscriptions.

An NFL spokesman says ratings overall were up 3 percent for Week 3 compared with Week 3 of last year, thanks in large part to the competitive game on Monday Night Football involving the Dallas Cowboys.The increase also was due to the fact that last year's Monday Night Football game was competing against a presidential debate.