![Kneeling might not be negotiable.[ Image via Keith Allison/Wikimedia Commons]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/10/12/660x290/b_502x220x82/kneeling-might-not-be-negotiable-image-via-keith-allisonwikimedia-commons_1630475.jpg "Kneeling might not be negotiable.[ Image via Keith Allison/Wikimedia Commons]")
The national anthem debate is so muddled that most people have no idea what is right and what is wrong. There is no policy in the NFL that says you have to stand. It is only suggested, and that means that any new rule might have to be collectively bargained with the owners. We do not necessarily know if that will be the case, but we have to wait and see what happens when the players and the owners have the conversation about it.
Do they have to negotiate?
It is not clear which side is right. Can the owners just tell the players to stand, or can the players force the owners to collectively bargain this activity?
We are not totally sure because they have to have the meeting, and that is why the NFLPA has been invited to the summit of the owners over this issue. The owners are going to have a nice time in New York trying to divide White Power, but now they will have players in their midst who are directly opposing white power. We need to see the outcome to find out what kind of negotiation they can have, and they might come to a conclusion by the end of the meeting.
What could the outcome be?
The outcome of the negotiations could be anything from a unilateral ban on kneeling to an outright lawsuit against the NFL for a loss of first amendment rights. We have no idea what will happen, but it is clear that the owners and players are very far apart on this issue.
They are so far apart that they might never actually come together until the country takes its course and more young owners like the one in San Francisco can come about. Jed Yorke has been a big proponent of what the team is doing, and he has told his players that he will support them. We need more young owners like that because it is a shame that old white men who already have billions really need that much control over young people of color.
The best example of white power
The owners in the NFL can say anything they want, but it is clear that they love white power and money more than they love the dignity of others. You have to be a pretty terrible human being to be opposed to social justice, and you have to be even worse if you oppose a protest that wants to call attention to police brutality.
Every man who owns an NFL team right now is going to look very bad. The players in the NFL are going to turn out to be on the right side of history, and that is something that they can carry with them for the rest of their lives. It is not the same as the civil rights movement, but they will be remembered because they contested rich people who have outdated and immoral values, that should not be used to run anything including the NFL.
