Detroit Lions: Long term effects from the NFL protests
The paths of the NFL, American politics, freedom of speech, and the right to protest have all converged and the aftermath is difficult for everyone.
On September 24, 2017, Detroit Lions owner Martha Ford stood with her arms linked in solidarity with family members and her team during the playing of the national anthem. During that same moment, eight members of her team chose to kneel with their arms also linked together.
The show of unity was just one of several around the NFL that Sunday as players and owners alike decided to take a stand against what they deemed as dangerous and hurtful comments from the President of the United States.
Massive on-field demonstrations took place that weekend and a week later, Mrs. Ford had a compromise for the players on her team.
She proposed that she would lend part of her considerable wealth and name recognition in support of causes that backed the agendas of her players. What she asked for in return was for the Lions not to kneel anymore during the national anthem.
Money given to an issue will not make it disappear and while not a cure-all, Mrs. Ford’s offer was an attempt at taking the initial steps towards an eventual solution with Detroit’s players who chose to protest during the anthem.
The actions taken by Detroit’s owner could maybe have set a new precedent for other owners to follow with their own teams.
For as many people in and around the NFL who took offense at President Trump’s comments, there are just as many people who feel as if he said nothing wrong. The manner and timing of how the players are protesting are their chief concerns.
It isn’t my place to point out who’s right and who’s wrong but based off of the current political climate, this growing tumult will be lingering around the NFL for the foreseeable future.
A new NFL anthem policy
On May 24th, it was reported that all NFL owners agreed to unveil a new league policy that mandated all players to either stand during the playing of the national anthem or choose to remain in the locker room with no punishment from the league.
Within the framework of the new policy, if any player was to take an action on the field deemed as offensive to the flag or anthem, the NFL could fine the team and the team could in turn fine the offending player(s).
Upon the announcement, the new policy was not well received by NFL players because they were not consulted for their input into the final decision.
In addition to the players not being consulted, two vital areas of the league’s new anthem policy were undefined and/or vague: an understanding of what actions could be deemed as disrespectful to the flag and the dollar amount of the league fines.
A hasty reversal
However, less than a month after the new anthem policy was released to the public, on June 20th the NFL and the Players Association mutually agreed to hold off on any sort of anthem protest policy until the two sides could agree on the terms.
Now, for the time being, any punitive measures for players who choose to kneel or raise a fist during the national anthem will not occur.
The major action that prompted the NFL to call a policy mulligan came as a result from backlash received after the Miami Dolphins’ ”discipline document” was released to the public.
No end in sight
When it seems as if the issues with the NFL protests seemingly die down for the briefest of moments, they come back to bite with a vengeance.
At some point, however, something will have to give. Maybe the NFL’s bottom line will begin to be significantly affected due to a loss of interest or maybe other issues will require President Trump’s more immediate attention.
Next. The Detroit Lions All-Time Defensive Team. dark
I don’t know when the end of this battle will happen and I don’t know which side will be deemed as the ”winner” but what I do know is that the relationship between the NFL and Washington DC is rocky at best and it could never be the same again.
For many, the damage imposed by either side is irreparable and there is no going back. The landscape between sports and politics is at an impasse and fans are left scrambling, trying to make sense of it all.