It’s no secret that the new national anthem policy by the NFL is generating loads of attention, most of it unfavorable. The general feeling is the move is a blatant attempt to silence the players from voicing their opinions in an effort to avoid bad public relations that bedeviled the league most of last year. Chicago Bears ownership along with those of the 31 other teams unofficially voted to make it legitimate.
In essence, the policy says players face fines and in-game penalties for sitting or kneeling during the anthem. The punishments though won’t come from the league itself. That responsibility will fall to the teams themselves. It feels like the NFL merely passed the buck in order to divert attention away from the top brass in hopes of spreading any controversies out.
Odds are they’ve only served to complicate the issue even further. The NFL Players Association has already condemned the policy and now politicians are even getting involved. Not even the Bears are safe from the attention.
Congresswoman Robin Kelly demands answers from Chicago Bears ownership
Robin Kelly among the current Democrats elected to the House of Representatives out of Illinois. She’s long had a strong presence in Chicago and seems to be taking this anthem issue seriously. According to SB Nation, she drafted a letter to Bears ownership demanding clarity on what their plans are for enforcing this new policy.
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Here case boils down to concerns about whether the Bears are taking the issue of excessive force by law enforcement officers seriously. This is a problem Chicago has faced for years. If the Bears come across condoning this policy, it could look really bad to the many black players they employ and black citizens who come every Sunday to watch their team. It will be interesting to see if the McCaskeys respond at some point.
