Roger Goodell's Empty Letter to the NFL
On Tuesday, the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to the executives and presidents of all 32 teams. Its contents concerned the most prominent topic of discussion surrounding the league recently. “Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem,” he 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.”
Goodell’s written remarks are the most official response yet to the players across the league two and a half weeks ago, following in the footsteps of the now-unemployed quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose own anthem protest began back at the start of the 2016 season. Kaepernick’s mission was to prompt dialogue about in America; the adopters of his tactic wished also to respond to a president who of protesting players. The league’s initial responses supported its employees, if not quite fully. First, the minute-long “Inside These Lines” called for “unity” in place of outspoken displeasure. Then, on nationally televised , the Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones alongside his players—crucially, before the actual playing of the anthem. Two days before Goodell’s memo circulated, Jones to his support and that of his colleagues: “There is no question in my mind that the National Football League and the Dallas Cowboys are going to stand up for the flag. So we’re clear.”
