ATLANTA—The NFL owners apparently took the scenic route, time-wise, to reach a policy destination which should have been located long ago.
Try two years.
But hey, at least this powerful group of 32 franchises finally ended up in a good place this week ... by not passing the proverbial buck of penalizing protesting players to an already overworked consortium of league referees.
On Wednesday morning, the NFL owners formally approved a league-wise policy/solution for the National Anthem controversy.
Thankfully, the proposed notion of the NFL penalizing kneeling protestors 15 yards after the opening kickoff never advanced past the rumor stage.
Here's the official wording of the new rule, which goes into effect at the start of this season (and preseason):
The 32 member clubs of the National Football League have reaffirmed their strong commitment to work alongside our players to strengthen our communities and advance social justice. The unique platform that we have created is unprecedented in its scope, and will provide extraordinary resources in support of programs to promote positive social change in our communities.
The membership also strongly believes that:
1. All team and league personnel on the field shall stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem.
2. The Game Operations Manual will be revised to remove the requirement that all players be on the field for the Anthem.
3. Personnel who choose not to stand for the Anthem may stay in the locker room or in a similar location off the field until after the Anthem has been performed.
4. A club will be fined by the League if its personnel are on the field and do not stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem.
5. Each club may develop its own work rules, consistent with the above principles, regarding its personnel who do not stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem.
6. The Commissioner will impose appropriate discipline on league personnel who do not stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem.
Is this the most perfectly conceived plan of action? Perhaps not.
Should the owners have worked hand in hand with the NFL Players Association to establish a unified front on this hot-button issue? Probably.
Can I live with this final determination? Absolutely.
For the record, covering the last two seasons, I never flew off the handle with faux outrage when Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players opted to kneel during pre-game renditions of The Star-Spangled Banner or America The Beautiful.
As part of living in a free society, you have to take the good ... with the bad or potentially awkward.
That said, it was always a horrible look for the NFL, from a mass-audience perspective.
Plus, if the NBA, NHL and MLB were savvy enough to implement bedrock policies about National Anthem conduct long before August 2016 (the time of Kaepernick's original kneel statement), then how did the NFL lose control of such a no-brainer policy for game operations?
If memory serves, the 1960s and 1970s entailed turbulent eras of social change in America. There were rebellious, outspoken players in the league during this period; and yet, National Anthem conduct had seemingly not become a problem until the Kaepernick incident.
So, in that vein, the NFL should be congratulated for reaching a clean decision on a murky national debate.
THE BEST ALTERNATIVE
Growing up in Michigan during the 1980s, a handful of Detroit Tigers players routinely weren't present for the National Anthem in the dugout, citing religious differences; and I was OK with that.
For starters, American citizens (or those playing American events) have the freedoms of expression and religious participation; and secondly, none of the players back then made public spectacles of their choice to skip the anthem.
The second part holds up extremely well in today's sporting culture. Why is that?
When you put on a professional uniform for one of the five major sports (including soccer), you are representing the franchise, that city, your teammates, your management and the ownership group. And like it or not, you are expected to meet the employer's baseline level of expectations and standards, namely gameday conduct.
Similar to every other walk of life, occupation-wise.
What's the old expression? Freedom of speech may be for keeps ... but actions still have consequences.
Which brings us to the NFL's landmark policy from Wednesday:
a) If you don't want to be on the field during the National Anthem, it's your choice. Have fun hanging out in the locker room (or tunnel) for this minutes-long presentation.
b) If you're an NFL player who wants to voice displeasure with the league or anthem policy, that's fine, too.
Go ahead and kneel on street corners during lunch hour, or post YouTube videos of various kneeling acts. Anything goes when thinking creatively.
After all, NFL players are known for having diverse interests during their down time.
c) In 2016, the NFL's TV partners were free to chronicle kneeling players during the anthem ... just like in 2017, these same networks had the freedom to ignore individual efforts to garner fame in the run-up to opening kickoff.
For those irked by point C, there's a simple solution to this sudden lack of media coverage for protests.
If you're actively seeking a professional league which pays for talent and respects one's desire to kneel during the National Anthem, just know the calvary might be coming soon with the various spring football leagues.
Just a heads-up, though: The salary disparity between start-up spring ball and the NFL product might elicit a case of sticker shock.
