Last week, the National Football League put out a new national anthem policy to be followed by the league which states that all team players and personnel must stand on the field while the national anthem is playing. Those who choose not to stand must stay in the locker room for the duration of the anthem. This new policy was enacted due to the spark of protest about social inequality and police brutality. These protests were started in part by former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Now, according to reports, some players are considering sitting out.

The de facto ban

According to a report by Shaun King, a columnist at The Intercept, some NFL players are considering sitting out this upcoming 2018 football season until "the de facto ban" on Kaepernick and his former teammate, safety Eric Reid, has been removed. This ultimately means that they want both players back on NFL rosters.

Kaepernick and Reid were teammates in the 49ers for four seasons.

Reid supported his quarterback in his effort to protest and seek awareness when he also began to kneel during the national anthem.

The report put out by King also says that the players who intend to sit out "aim to get 25% of the players to sit out with them." This sizable target seems unlikely at this time with teams going into their second and third sessions of offseason workouts underway.

Mike Florio of "ProFootball Talk" on NBC Sports Network pointed out that, "teams can fine players up to $40,000 per day for skipping camp." Other money players would ultimately be giving up are game checks and in some cases possible signing bonuses.

What about Kaepernick and Reid?

As for the two former teammates, each has filed a grievance against the NFL.

Kaepernick filed a grievance in October saying that teams and owners have conspired to keep him from playing in the NFL due to the attention he brings to his social advocacy and protests. But on the contrary, some teams viewed Kaepernick as a starting quarterback during the 2017 free agency period, as was reported by Florio.

Kaepernick's 2016 stats read as a starting quarterback's. The former Super Bowl-leading quarterback threw for 2,241 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in 12 games, according to NJ.com.

Reid's grievance was filed in May with a similar intent as Kaepernick. Reid was also a top safety in the league when he was on the field. In 2017, he had 67 combined tackles and two interceptions in 13 games.
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