The NFL will not implement any new policy regarding the national anthem this season, league sources told ESPN. According to reports, no matter how many meetings or conversations occur around the topic, the new policy will be: no policy - at least for the rest of this season.
An NFL official said there was a continuing dialogue on the issue as the league struggles to deal with the controversial issue.
During the 2016 season, several players began sitting, or kneeling during the anthem to protest racial inequalities, police brutality and other issues. Colin Kaepernick, who was seen as the face for the protest movement, was recently chosen by Nike to become the face of their new "Just Do It" campaign, pushing the issue back to the forefront as the regular season gets underway.
President Donald Trump, who has been vocal in his criticisms of NFL players demonstrating during the national anthem, tweeted on Sunday that NFL ratings could continue to decline if players do not stand for the national anthem.
Wow, NFL first game ratings are way down over an already really bad last year comparison. Viewership declined 13%, the lowest in over a decade. If the players stood proudly for our Flag and Anthem, and it is all shown on broadcast, maybe ratings could come back? Otherwise worse!
Ratings for NBC's NFL opener on Thursday between Super Bowl champs the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlawere at their lowest in ten years, down 13 percent. Ratings were also down during the 2017 regular season, but 20 of the 30 highest-rated shows last season were football games according to Nielsen data.
A new national anthem policy was passed by the NFL in May, but the rules were put on hold to allow the player's union and the league time to discuss the issue further.
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