During the NFL autumn meeting, commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the league would allow players to kneel during the national anthem. “We spent today talking about the issues that our players have been trying to bring attention to, issues in our communities to make our communities better,” Goodell said.
The decision came after former San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick chose to kneel during “The Star-Spangled Banner” to protest police brutality against minorities in the country. Since his peaceful protest, the league and the country have been split down the middle: Some believe Kaepernick and others who follow suit are disrespecting those who gave their right to preserve the freedoms in America, while others think that those who died fought for others to have the right to protest however they see fit.
Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said the topic of protests weren’t discussed too much but the meeting was constructive. “We were really more talking about solutions and how we get the results that we want to get,” Jenkins said. “Conversations are ongoing, [and] we’re looking forward to the opportunity to really put a good plan together.”