As the numbers of players who won’t stand for the national anthem has tripled from one to three, there’s a chance that, eventually, a player will choose not to stand on a team that isn’t as forgiving as the NFL, which encourages but does not require the gesture. However, as one source with knowledge of the situation explained it to PFT, the NFL Players Association firmly believes that the league and its teams lack the power to discipline players who refuse to stand for the anthem.
Unlike the NBA, the NFL has no rule requiring players to stand. And while it’s possible individual teams have (or may adopt) such a rule, the Collective Bargaining Agreement does not authorize teams to impose fines or otherwise discipline players for not standing during the anthem.
As a practical matter, however, the NFLPA realizes that players can be cut for refusing to conform, if the teams are smart enough to avoid saying or doing anything that would suggest that the move has anything to do with not standing for the anthem. That’s surely one of the reasons why the 49ers have made it clear that quarterback Colin Kaepernick can do whatever he wants to do during the anthem. If/when they release him, anything other than a firewall between respect for the flag and football ability will invite a grievance based on the claim that the team cut him because of his activism.
The Seahawks, to date, have likewise said all the right things about cornerback Jeremy Lane. If/when he’s ever released, it becomes difficult to pin the move to his decision to sit during the anthem.
For other teams, a decision by a player to sit or kneel during the anthem followed by a decision to get rid of the player could be problematic. Both Bills coach Rex Ryan and Rams coach Jeff Fisher have made it clear that, on their teams, the players stand. So if a player refuses to stand and is then cut, he could have a case.
It remains unlikely it will come that. It is likely that the NFL is concerned about how situations like this could play out, and it would be wise for the league to let the teams know that they should say or do nothing publicly or privately to indicate that standing for the anthem is in any way required.
