Yesterday, the National Football League announced major changes regarding its policy surrounding the national anthem. The new rules mean that teams who have players that refuse to stand for the anthem can end up being fined for their player's conduct.

According to the new policy, players who choose to sit or kneel during the anthem will now have to do so "in the locker room."

“It was unfortunate that on-field protests created a false perception among many that thousands of NFL players were unpatriotic. This is not and was never the case,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “We believe today’s decision will keep our focus on the game and the extraordinary athletes who play it—and on our fans who enjoy it.

"This season, all league and team personnel shall stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem," Goodell added.

Players had been "taking a knee" during the national anthem since Colin Kaepernick began doing so in 2016. At the time, Kaepernick would sit down during The Star Spanged Banner in order to highlight the mistreatment of people of color in America. He said: "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid and getting away with murder."

Because of his roll in the protests, Kaepernick has been left without a team and is now a free agent. However, despite the fact he divided fans, there were plenty of players who supported their colleague and still do to this day.

The NFL's change of policy may have been popular with certain fans of the sport, but it drew swift backlash from players, with the NFL Players Association quickly noting that the league "chose not to consult the union in the development of this new 'policy.'"

Individual players who take part in the protest or supported their teammates throughout the ordeal, criticized the move, issuing statements across their social media in which they openly criticized the league and its rationale.

Malcolm Jenkins, a player for the Philadelphia Eagles, accused the league of thwarting "players' constitutional rights to express themselves and use our platform to draw attention to social injustices like racial inequality in our country."

Jenkins vowed not to "let the decision silence me or stop me from fighting" and his sentiment has been echoed by fellow professionals such as Torrey Smith, Damon Harrison and Chris Long.

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However, one person who thinks that the league has made the right decision, is President Donald Trump.

Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, Trump said that the NFL had done the "right thing," but didn't agree that players should even be allowed to protest in the locker rooms.

"You have to stand proudly for the National Anthem. You shouldn’t be playing, you shouldn’t be there. Maybe they shouldn’t be in the country," he said.

It's not the first time Trump has discussed the issue, the president has regularly weighed into the debate surrounding the protests, with him accusing players who knelt of "disrespecting" the USA.

Despite this, he denies that his opinions on the matter were the reason that the NFL decided the change the policy.

"I think the people pushed it forward; this was not me. I brought it out," he said. "This country is very smart; we have very smart people and, you know, that’s something ideally could have been taken care of when it first started, it would have been a lot easier, but if they did that, they did the right thing."

At the end of the day, Kaepernick's kneel wasn't hurting anyone, so what is the big hoo-ha? No one should be forced to stand for their national anthem, it should be a matter of choice.

In 2016, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick risked his job to start a movement. Before football games, he took a knee during the national anthem to protest racial inequality and police brutality. It was a peaceful way to protest the many shocking cases of white police officers killing unarmed black civilians. In many cases, these horrific acts were captured on video, and the officers were not prosecuted or convicted for excessive use of force.

This movement sparked anger from critics, who believe taking a knee during the national anthem somehow disrespects the American flag and insults the military. One of the loudest critics, President Donald Trump, referred to the protesters as "sons of bitches" and even called for them to be fired from the NFL. Evidently, the owners were listening. Since 2017, Kaepernick has been without a team, reportedly blackballed for having the audacity to participate in a peaceful protest.

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This week Nike announced Kaepernick will become the face of their new advertising campaign. As you might expect, the critics were outraged, calling for a boycott and burning their Nike products in retaliation. It is unclear how burning expensive products you purchased is an effective protest, but hey, at least they remembered to take their shoes off first.

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In an interview, President Trump said he disapproved of Nike's new campaign. "I think it’s a terrible message that they're sending and the purpose of them doing it, maybe there’s a reason for them doing it, but I think as far as sending a message, I think it’s a terrible message and a message that shouldn’t be sent. There’s no reason for it." (As previously stated, the "reason" is to protest racial inequality and police brutality.)

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Earlier today, Nike released a full commercial starring Colin Kaepernick that makes a powerful statement. The two-minute ad features professional athletes, like Serena Williams and LeBron James, plus inspiring amateur athletes, like a football-playing homecoming queen and an Ironman participant who recovered from a brain tumor. There is no footage of NFL players taking a knee, but many phrases allude to the protest.

"People say your dreams are crazy, if they laugh at what you think you can do, good. Stay that way. Because what non-believers fail to understand is that calling a dream crazy is not an insult, it’s a compliment...

"Don’t try to be the fastest runner in your school, or the fastest in the world. Be the fastest, ever... Don’t settle for homecoming queen or linebacker; do both. Lose 120 pounds and become an IronMan, after beating a brain tumor. Don’t believe you have to be like anybody to be somebody."

Kaepernick provides the narration, and appears on camera, saying, "Don't ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they're crazy enough." And it all ends with the words, "It's only crazy until you do it. Just do it." Well, Diddy hasn't hired Kaep yet, but at least he got a gig.

The commercial is reportedly scheduled to play during the NFL opener on Thursday night.

You have by now undoubtedly heard about the NFL protests, in which players are "taking a knee". It all started with the now much-maligned quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled during the national anthem to make a statement about racial injustice in the U.S. The NFL player said that he couldn't stand for and respect a country where black people are still being oppressed and on the receiving end of police brutality. Perhaps due to these actions, Kaepernick left the 49ers in March this year, and is yet to be signed by another team despite being lauded as a great sportsman. His protest was taken up by other NFL players, who similarly took a knee and refused to stand for the national anthem at their games. Donald Trump then weighed in, taking the elegant and presidential route as always by instructing NFL coaches to fire anyone who takes a knee, and calling anyone who joins in on the peaceful protest a "son of a b*tch". Now, country singer Neal McCoy has released a new song in opposition to the protests in which players attempted to draw attention to systemic racism and police brutality, with his new, terribly-titled, song: Take A Knee, My Ass (I Won't Take A Knee). [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/nbc4i/status/931605656284536833]] You can see what he was going for with the title, but it definitely doesn't work as well without the emphasis that comes with saying it out loud. He clearly came across this problem himself, choosing to add what it really means in parenthesis, which just highlights how badly-worded the title was. As you can expect, a plethora of people came out to mock the song and it's name. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/kumailn/status/931682167041622016]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/BunkiePerkins/status/931688845124554755]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/flubby/status/931688237814501376]] This really does go to show how the structure of a sentence, even one as short as this, can change a meaning of a sentence - with many joking about what he may mean by the song. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/jamesmcnamara27/status/931674448180035584]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/onlxn/status/931637706458664961]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/kashanacauley/status/931629669966692352]] He also posted the music video, wherein the title has been changed to the much-clearer "Take a Knee... my Ass!" The video features a slideshow of photos of the men and women serving in the military, as well as shots from funerals and of the veterans who have suffered serious injuries - all while he talks about patriotism and why he'll always sing the national anthem and put a hand to his heart. Bob Costas, a noteworthy sportscaster for over 30 years, had a compelling take on the issue. "Wrapping yourself in the flag and honoring the military is something which nobody is going to object to," he said back in September. "We all respect their sacrifice. We all honor their sacrifice, and yet what it has come to mean, is that the flag is primarily and only about the military." "Martin Luther King was a patriot, Susan B. Anthony was a patriot, dissidents are patriots, school teachers and social workers are patriots," he continued. Ultimately, Costas' point of view is that protest against the flaws you perceive in your country is a patriotic act. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BbcJBSllf2K/]] McCoy, who is known for hits such as Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On, has since spoken about the song to media outlets, informing them that the song isn't really against those who choose to take a knee. Speaking to Fox News he said: "This song is exactly what I stand for. It's not a slam against people who are taking the knee, that they don't have the right to do that - I understand they do - I just think it's kind of the wrong time, wrong place kind of thing for me" It's unclear what the right time and place would be for the country singer, and when you listen to the song it does seem to be critical of those who protest in this way, so it's unclear what his ultimate intent would be other than hoping that players like Kaepernick wait until another time to use their right to free speech.

Thirteen months ago, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick remained seated on the stadium benches while the national anthem played at the beginning of a preseason game. Not many people noticed at the time, but his silent protest was one of utmost importance. When challenged on his actions, Kaepernick explained that he could not support a nation that fosters institutional racism, and that carrying on as normal while innocent black people are getting murdered by police officers would be selfish: "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people, and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street, and people getting paid leave, and getting away with murder." Kaepernick later transitioned to kneeling during the anthem, in order to show more respect for military veterans, and has been continually doing so for over a year. Again, nobody took much notice. However, his actions were publicised on Friday when President Donald Trump spoke out against Kaepernick's (and others') refusal to stand for the anthem. "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a b**** off the field right now, out, he's fired. He's fired,'" said Trump during a campaign rally in Alabama. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/912624892239077376]] Unsurprisingly, the President's comments caused uproar; firstly, because they showed a gross amount of ignorance and misunderstanding towards what the protest was actually about (not towards the flag, but towards racial inequality), and secondly, because it showed his disregard for those who are affected by institutional racism. Since then, more and more people have been "taking a knee" to show support for Kaepernick and his fight against unfair treatment towards people of color, but not without criticism. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/TheNormanLear/status/913148374404050944]] Recently, a six-year-old boy was punished for taking the knee during the Pledge of Allegiance at school. Instead of standing alongside his fellow pupils, the child knelt down, and was subsequently called out in front of the class by the teacher, who told him to "stand up and stop it". The mother of the boy, who has not been named, later received a text message from his first grade teacher on the day of the incident. It said: "I just wanted to let you know that this morning when it was time to do the Pledge of Allegiance [redacted name] went down on one knee. I knew where he had seen it but I did tell him that in the classroom ... we're learning about respecting the United States of America ... and showing loyalty and patriotism." The mother says she did not tell her son to take a knee, but also respects his decision to do so. She was angered that the teacher would imply that her child's actions showed disrespect, as she says: "The bigger issue is cultural. They have demonstrated to me, through multiple incidents, that they don’t take inclusion and diversity serious." [[rumblewidget||https://rumble.com/embed/u9m1b.v14hyf/]] To be exempted from joining the Pledge of Allegiance, a student is supposed to have a written request from their parents. But, arguably, the boy did still join in, he just did so on his knees. Clearly, this issue continues to be a divisive one, but punishing children for highlighting injustice does not seem to be a viable way of solving the problem. Hopefully, President Trump will see that this protest is not intended to disrespect the USA, but rather to make sure that everybody is able to feel pride in their country.

President Trump has reaffirmed his stance on players kneeling during the national anthem and has tweeted to say that he "won't be watching" the NFL.

Trump took to Twitter to react to the NFL and the U.S. Soccer Federation's recent change of stance on kneeling following the death of George Floyd after he was arrested by Minneapolis police officers.

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Writing on Twitter earlier this month, the NFL said:

"We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black People. We, the NFL, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter. #InspireChange"

U.S. Soccer - the organization that oversees the U.S. men's and women's teams that compete in various events, including the Olympics - also recently changed its policy which required players to stand during the playing of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' before matches.

The U.S. Soccer policy reversal was accompanied by a video from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, which apologized to black players and fans.

Watch the video below: 

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President Trump described what happened to Floyd as "a very sad and tragic death," but he hasn't changed his stance about players kneeling during the national anthem in protest.

"I won't be watching much anymore!" the president wrote on Twitter, retweeting a news story about U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., calling out U.S. Soccer on reversing its policy.

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Gaetz tweeted that he'd "rather the US not have a soccer team" than one that kneels during the national anthem on Thursday.

"You shouldn't get to play under our flag as our national team if you won't stand when it is raised," Gaetz added.

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The original ban on kneeling during the national anthem was implemented in 2017 when women's team player Megan Rapinoe knelt during the national anthem in support of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who began the practice back in 2016 to protest police brutality.

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This comes as unrest continues to unfold across the US, as protests - some peaceful, some violent - are calling out the systemic injustices carried out against black people, not least seen by the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor.

As well as a call for justice, these ongoing protests are also demanding an end to police brutality and the racism that is so deeply entrenched in America and the western world.

The message is simple: Black lives matter.

VT proudly supports Black Lives Matter, and for ways to contribute to the cause, please click HERE.