National Anthem Rule Changes Reportedly Not Discussed at NFL, NFLPA Meeting

The NFL owners and NFL Players Association reportedly did not discuss any rule changes in regard to the national anthem or kneeling during the anthem, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com. 

The NFL Game Operations Manual encourages players to stand during the anthem, but the NFL rulebook does not specifically outlaw kneeling or demonstrating while the "Star-Spangled Banner" is being played before games.

San Francisco 49ers owner confirmed that no rule change would take place and talked about kneeling during the national anthem, per Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com: 

The NFL Network further broke down the content of the day's meeting between the players and owners, which largely did not center around the anthem: 

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick—who began protesting racial injustice and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem in 2016—was not present at the meetings, though according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, he was invited by the league's players and was asked to attend the next meeting between the players and owners.

The debate on protesting during the anthem came to a head earlier this season when President Donald Trump said a player kneeling during the anthem was a "son of a bitch" who should be fired. NFL teams largely demonstrated as a show of unity in the Sunday following those remarks, though the debate was reignited when Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones later insisted that he wouldn't permit any protesting during the anthem and that the Cowboys simply wouldn't play if it took place.

Jones reportedly later told the Cowboys in a team meeting that his comments were meant to put the attention on him and to deflect it away from the players. The Local 100 of the United Labor Unions, meanwhile, claimed Jones had violated the National Labor Relations Act in a filing to the National Labor Relations Board.

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