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N.F.L. The players' badociation said Tuesday that she had filed a grievance against the league for unilaterally changing her policy on the national anthem, the latest salvo of the nearly two-year controversy over the fact to allow players to kneel during the national anthem. the union stated that the new policy was changed without consulting the Players' Association, which "is inconsistent with the collective agreement and infringes on the rights of the players."
The NFL did not not commented on Tuesday.
At a meeting at the end of May, the 32 N.F.L. the owners voted to revise their protocol for what players must do during the anthem. In the past, players had to be on the sideline during the anthem, but they were not required to get up. This policy dates back to 2009, when N.F.L. signed a marketing contract with the US Army
Under the new policy, players can no longer kneel during the national anthem without exposing themselves to sanctions. In addition, their teams may face potential financial penalties. At the same time, players are not required to be on the sideline during the game of the anthem. They can stay in their locker room during the pre-game ceremony.
The union immediately opposes the revised policy, saying that it was not consulted.
Players have long argued that they were not protesting against the flag or the anthem raising public awareness of important issues
The union said it was proposing to start confidential discussions with the league before proceeding with potentially litigious and time-consuming litigation. The league agreed, the union said.
If the talks fail, the union will begin the discovery and eventually may present its case to an independent arbitrator. The controversy dates back to August 2016 when Colin Kaepernick, then a quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers, sat down first, then kneeled during the "Star-Spangled Banner" during meadow games. -season to draw attention to police brutality against African Americans and other cases of social injustice. He continued the regular season demonstration, with other players on the 49ers and on other teams later joining him.
Kaepernick became a free agent after the season, and his inability to find a new club ready to sign him led to accusations that the owners punished him for his political views. Kaepernick later lodged a complaint against N.F.L. and the owners, accusing them of colluding to keep him out of the league.
Last September, the problem exploded into a national controversy when President Trump said the owners should fire all players who did not defend the anthem. The fans quickly took sides in a debate that, in a way, was beginning to calm down. The league struggled to find an adequate answer. At a meeting held several weeks after the president first attacked the league, a record of which was obtained by The New York Times, the owners spoke openly about the threat to their businesses and asked the players to stop protesting. The players said that there was no way that any player could be controlled or persuaded not to protest.
Shortly after, N.F.L. and a coalition of players announced a plan to donate millions of dollars to groups fighting social injustice.
After the season, the owners began to discuss how to change their policy to appease the president's fans.
The new policy makes it clear that players may be fined if they "do not respect the flag and the anthem".
"We want people to be respectful" Commissioner Roger Goodell said at the May meeting that the policy was changed
. The beginning of the season in less than two months, it is unclear how the union will be able to change the policy.
There are, however, areas of policy that could be clarified, including fines that could be badessed.
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