ATLANTA -- NFL owners have approved a policy that could end player protests during the national anthem. Will it work? Are owners truly united in the effort? And is it more complicated than it needed to be?
Let's take a closer look at all the lingering questions.
Give it to me in a nutshell. What's the new policy?
Any team personnel, including players, must "stand and show respect for the flag and the anthem" if they're on the field at that time, according to the policy statement. It replaces a previous policy that said players "should" stand but did not make it required.
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NFL players, coaches and owners react to national anthem policy
NFL owners will require players to stand if they are on the field for the national anthem. Here's reaction to the new rule.
What does "on the field at that time" mean?
Players who don't want to stand have the option to go to the locker room during the anthem performance. There will be no discipline for doing so.
"We're not forcing anyone to stand that doesn't feel that's within the way they feel about the particular subjects," Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II said. "But those that are on the field are going to be asked to stand."
Does that mean any player in the locker room during the anthem will be assumed to be in silent protest?
That's where things start to get complicated. Players sometimes go in for last-second treatment or (emergency) bathroom breaks. They now might have to clarify why they were not on the field.
How exactly will the NFL define "showing respect" for players who are on the field for the anthem?
It's a fair question given the frequency of disputes between players and the league on policy interpretations. What's clear is that the anthem policy extends beyond kneeling or sitting. Linking arms and raising fists, for example, are also expected to be prohibited.
Owners queried on this issue Wednesday said, in essence, that they'll know it when they see it.
"We didn't define exactly what they have to be doing to be out there," Rooney said, "but I think everyone understands what it means to be respectful toward the anthem."
This is actually a quite reasonable point. If the point of protest is to draw attention, the protest itself can't be subtle. It's difficult to imagine a scenario in which a player is perceived to have protested when in fact he intended no such thing.
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