With no deadlines to meet and a monthlong summer break coming up
Devin Hester Bears Jersey , NFL teams are in no hurry to formulate a policy on demonstrations during the national anthem.
One day after league owners mandated that players must stand for the "Star-Spangled Banner" ??they now have the option of remaining in the locker
room for the playing of the anthem ??few of the 32 teams had done more than
preliminary work on the issue.
The NFL gave teams the option of developing their own workplace rules, which many players interpreted as a backhanded way of subjecting them to fines,
suspensions or loss of jobs should they carry on with the protests.
For now, other than New York Jets owner Christopher Johnson's decision to pay any fines doled out by the league without passing punishment to the players,
each franchise's approach is uncertain.
After all, once mandatory minicamps end in mid-June, teams don't get together again until training camps open in late July. The opening preseason game ??the
first time the anthem would be played before an NFL match ??is Aug. 2 when
Baltimore and Chicago face off in the Hall of Fame game.
"I'm sure it's something that will be addressed, by the players and by the coaches, collectively," Lions receiver Golden Tate said Thursday. "But right
now, we don't play a game until August, and that's when it's going to be
applicable in football stadiums. So we've got time to kind of brainstorm some
ideas on how we could stand for justice and what we can do."
What some teams have done in the past likely indicates how they will handle disciplining players for demonstrations during the anthem ??regardless of the
intent. Owners Jerry Jones of the Cowboys and Robert McNair of the Texans have
been among the staunchest advocates of no exceptions to standing during the
anthem.
Others have taken a less stringent stance, emphasizing working together with the players in their communities rather than focusing on how the message about
social injustice is being delivered.
"I have always believed it is the responsibility of sports teams to be very proactive in our communities
Patrick Omameh Color Rush Jersey ," says Jeffrey Lurie, owner of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
"In this great country of ours, there are so many people who are hurting and marginalized, which is why I am proud of our players for continuously working to
influence positive change. Their words and actions have demonstrated not only
that they have a great deal of respect for our country, but also that they are
committed to finding productive ways to fight social injustice, poverty and
other societal issues that are important to all of us.
"We must continue to work together in creative and dynamic ways to make our communities stronger and better, with equal opportunities for all."
One certain thing: The uncertainty about how each team will deal with players who defy the NFL's mandate will last for weeks.
Not so for any league personnel such as game officials, sideline crews, et al. They will be disciplined for any violations of the anthem policy, though the
exact punishments have not yet been determined by the NFL.
One organization, the National Action Network, will march on league headquarters Friday to "advocate for players' right to kneel and call on NFL
owners to reverse (the) dangerous decision violating players' First Amendment
rights by imposing fines for not standing during the national anthem."
Such protests could become more prevalent if teams decide to strongly discipline players who demonstrate during the anthem. But some franchises aren't
sure they need their own policy. Or if that is even the proper description.
The Falcons' position is any players on the field will stand, so no need to make plans for any other outcome.
Team spokesman Brian Cearns suggested it's too strong to say they have a team policy: "The word policy sounds like it was mandated. It was discussed as a team
and agreed upon as a team
Redskins Derrius Guice Jersey ," Cearns said in an email to The Associated Press.
Defensive linemen Dontari Poe and Grady Jarrett knelt during an early season game at Detroit last year.
Coach Dan Quinn said that was a "one-off" and, sure enough, after that game all players stood together on the sideline, with arms interlocked, the remainder
of the season.
"Was every player who stood last year against social justice?" Lions guard T.J. Lang tweeted "Or just the guys who do it this year because there is now a
rule? Asking for a friend."
Buffalo linebacker Lorenzo Alexander doesn't expect his team "to do anything."
"I understand where they're at. And it's hard," Alexander said. "And I understand that from a business perspective trying to be socially responsible.
And people can act like it's in a vacuum and say you have to pick a side. But
it's not that simple. It's a very complex situation.
"And so I respect them, because I was a business owner and I understand it. It makes a big impact. I'm in this to grow the business, grow their brand, and
us doing this does have an impact, whether we say it or not. That's what we
want, because we're trying to bring attention to it. But they have to have a
foot over here, a foot over here. It's hard."
AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton and Sports Writers Charles Odum, Paul Newberry
Patriots Elite Jerseys , John Wawrow and Noah Trister contributed.Former New York Giants linebacker and Montana State star Corey Widmer has declined his nomination to the Montana Football Hall of Fame, saying the sport
"destroyed my life."
Widmer said after numerous concussions he fears he suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease. He has depression,
memory problems, suffers from mood swings and seeks to isolate himself.
Recently, he said, his thumb has started twitching.
"I'm 49 years old, depressed to the Nth degree but have a lot of money . and some people might say it's still worth it. I just tell them to watch what they
wish for," Widmer told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle . "If someone could've
explained all of this to me when I was 14, I would've given it all back in a
heartbeat. I would've wished for something else."
The Bozeman native said he couldn't in good conscience be a part of Saturday's banquet in Billings celebrating a sport that caused great suffering
among his friends and that he believes endangers children.
"When I refused entry I had to give an explanation, and my explanation is concussion," Widmer told Lee Newspapers of Montana .
But he didn't want to state his reasons during the ceremony that inducted eight other members to the Montana hall, including former Detroit Lions tight
end Casey FitzSimmons and former Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens
defensive tackle Dwan Edwards.
The banquet also honored the Petrino coaching tree that began with former Carroll College football coach Bob Petrino and includes his sons ??Louisville
coach Bobby Petrino and Idaho coach Paul Petrino. It also honored coaches who
once played for Bob Petrino
Kerryon Johnson Lions Jersey , a group that includes Denver Broncos special teams coordinator Tom McMahon.
"I don't want to make some political statement right in the middle of their party and take advantage of some very nice people," said Widmer, who was a
plaintiff in the NFL concussion lawsuit.
But he said he also couldn't stay silent anymore after reading a recent news story about a lawsuit filed by the family of a 16-year-old Belt High School
student who suffered a concussion in a 2014 game and collapsed after playing the
next weekend, leaving him nearly paralyzed and unable to speak.
"That was the moment that made me understand," he said. He had taken a planned trip to Australia thinking he'd "just escape and walk away from
everything. I didn't want the drama.
"But when I got over there I just got this overwhelming guilt, anxiety and was not sleeping," he said. "Every day I was waking up thinking about this."
So he came back to Montana to explain himself and to urge parents to delay their children's participation in tackle football, maybe even until their senior
year in high school. He argued that letting children in fifth through eighth
grade participate in tackle football equates to child endangerment.
"If we can just have parents take another look at these kids and the potential dangers for the most prized possessions in their life, maybe they
could put that off for a few years," he said.
Widmer played with the Giants from 1992 to 1999, finishing with 271 tackles, 7.5 sacks and four interceptions. He was a standout defensive lineman at Montana
State from 1987-91.
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