The NFL will begin fining teams whose players don't stand for the national anthem

The NFL just issued a new policy that if players are on the field, they have to stand during the national anthem. And if they don’t, their teams will be fined.

The new policy, which was voted on by team owners Wednesday at a meeting in Atlanta, allows players to stay in the locker room or somewhere else out of public sight, should they choose not to stand during the anthem. The League can’t require players to come out onto the field during the anthem, and the leeway allows teams to set their own policies — just as long as they don't involve players taking a knee on the field.

“It was unfortunate that on-field protests created a false perception among many that thousands of NFL players were unpatriotic,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement announcing the policy. “This is not and was never the case.”

Forcing players to show respect for the flag in public is an advancement in social justice, Goodell contends. “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,” he added.

The NFL Players Association painted a different picture, issuing a statement that claims NFL management didn't consult the players' union before voting on the new rule.

“NFL players have shown their patriotism through their social activism, their community service, in support of our military and law enforcement and yes, through their protests to raise awareness about the issues they care about,” the statement read, adding that the union would review the policy and challenge any aspects of it that aren’t consistent with their contract.

The issue came to national attention after President Donald Trump publicly called out players, most notably San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who chose to kneel as a protest against police brutality.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. He’s fired!’” Trump said during a campaign event in support of Luther Strange, the Republican senator who was, at the time, running for Jeff Sessions’ vacant seat in Alabama.

For weeks, Trump publicly berated the League and the players who took a knee on Twitter and in other comments. In fact, the president even proposed banning kneeling.

Kaepernick kicked off a political revolution in the sports world when he started kneeling during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner. Many other football players — and even players in other sports — followed suit.

Goodell has stated that he doesn’t want players kneeling during the anthem at all, but there reportedly wasn’t enough support from team owners to force players to both be on the field and standing. They can still take a knee; they just can’t do it publicly, effectively barring the possibility of any protest statements by players on live television.

The new policy is set to take effect next season.

Cover image: San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid (35) and wide receiver Marquise Goodwin (11) kneel during the performance of the national anthem before an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)