Roger Goodell says players should stand, but league focus on underlying issues

ByABC News
October 18, 2017, 8:39 PM

— -- NFL owners expressed their belief that players should stand for the national anthem in meetings Wednesday but focused on how the league can address the concerns of players who are protesting during it, commissioner Roger Goodell said.

Goodell noted that only six or seven players are currently protesting during the national anthem and said the league is going to work to make that number zero by addressing the underlying issues of those protests. He said owners expressed support for the efforts that players have identified and recognize these are important issues in our communities.

"We want to make sure we are understanding what the players are talking about," Goodell said. "And that is complex."

NFL players and owners have scheduled a follow-up meeting for Oct. 31 to continue their discussions from Tuesday on how the league and players can work together to support causes and issues of importance to the players, sources told ESPN's Dan Graziano.

The meeting likely will take place once again at the league headquarters in New York. The expectation is that such meetings will continue on a regular basis for the foreseeable future.

The commissioner said owners didn't discuss the possibility of individual teams disciplining their players who protest during the national anthem, saying it "was not necessary." He said Wednesday's meeting was about making sure teams understood the dialogue that took place Tuesday between players and owners on social issues.

Asked what the league would do if a team decided to discipline its players, Goodell said he didn't want to get into hypotheticals. He reiterated that no changes were made to official policy.

Goodell said he understands that fans have voiced their displeasure at the protests but noted that the players who are protesting aren't doing so to be disrespectful to the flag.

"However, they also understand how it is being interpreted and we are trying to deal with those underlying issues," Goodell said.

"It doesn't change our plans just yet," San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid?said Wednesday.?"Like I said, it's a great starting point. Nothing is set in stone yet so nothing is going to change on my part moving forward until we get more concrete plans and to where I feel like I don't need to protest anymore because the NFL is providing a better platform."

Goodell said he has not talked about the protests with President Donald Trump, who has been very vocal about his disappointment with the protests.

Trump tweeted criticism of the NFL again Wednesday morning: "The NFL has decided that it will not force players to stand for the playing of our National Anthem. Total disrespect for our great country!''

When asked about that tweet, Goodell said, "We respect our country, we respect our flag and we respect our national anthem. I think if you look at our clubs and what they do on a daily basis, I think if you look at our players and what they did and how they participate in that. We all feel very strongly about our country, have pride and we will continue to do that."

Trump followed up with another tweet directed at the NFL late Wednesday afternoon that read, "Too much talk, not enough action. Stand for the National Anthem."

Asked if he understood what the issues were that concerned the players, Goodell listed criminal justice reform, bail reform and mandatory sentencing as some of those issues. He also talked about what the league can do to impact equality issues, whether that be educational or economic.

"We're not afraid of the tough conversations," Goodell said. "That is what we are having with our players. That's what we had [Tuesday] to makes sure we understand one another and understand where they are coming from. Out of those discussions, they understand that the owners and the NFL really do care about their issues and what we can do to make their communities better. That is what dialogue is all about, listening and understanding so we can get that kind of understanding between different parties.

"That is where real change happens. That is the opportunity for us in our communities."

New York Jets linebacker? Demario Davis, who attended Tuesday's meeting, said he believes the protests will end soon.

"I would say the talks were very productive. It's encouraging to me as an athlete to see so many athletes and owners so concerned about our country and pushing in the right direction. We have a tremendous platform in the NFL. To whom much is given much is required. That's why we simply just can't play football. We have to help push our country in the right direction and it's encouraging to see the owners and the athletes wanting to do that. I think that we're working together very hard to do that.

"The thing I see is our owners and players have a tremendous love for our country. That's neat to see. I do think we're very near a time when the protests will end, and athletes and owners will be at the forefront of social change for our country in a positive manner," he said.

Goodell labeled the fall meetings as "productive" overall and said the owners received several reports, including from the competition committee. The owners reviewed the first six weeks of the season, examining margin of victory, penalties and officiating and were pleased with the season so far.

The owners also talked about the league's partnerships, including one with Ticketmaster, and received a health and safety report.

Most of Goodell's news conference was dedicated to the national anthem discussion, but the commissioner also answered questions on the lawsuit filed by Aaron Hernandez's family against the NFL, alleging that players weren't adequately warned about the dangers of CTE and on the pace of play of games this season.

Of the Hernandez lawsuit, Goodell said the NFL will let his lawyers deal with that.

Goodell said he was pleased so far with the pace of play, crediting the 40-second clock, centralized replay and the officials' access to Microsoft Surface tablets as reasons for the positive change. He acknowledged, however, that the league has a long way to go.

ESPN's Nick Wagoner and Rich Cimini contributed to this report.