NFL Protests Reach A Boiling Point, As Players, Owners Cancel Social Concerns Meeting
by Bruce Haring
Deadline
October 29, 2017 5:00pm
SUNDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Things are going from bad to worse regarding relations between NFL players, owners and fans.
On a day when the largest national anthem protest yet was staged, it now appears that players and owners will not be meeting as planned to discuss a solution to the ongoing social justice concerns that prompted the protests.
Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, one of the key spokesmen for the players, says a meeting between the owners and players to discuss social justice initiatives has been canceled. Jenkins claimed the league did not accept an invitation for the meeting, which was to be held Monday in Philadelphia, saying scheduling issues would not permit them to attend.
They want to get back to football; we want to move past anthem demonstrations, Jenkins said. But to do that, we need to be able to replace the platform that we have.
There may be more to the cancelled meeting than scheduling problems. Reports have also surfaced that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is under fire, with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spearheading the opposition. Jones reportedly led a 17-owner conference call on Thursday to discuss whether a pending contract extension for Goodell could be halted.
Reports indicate that owners are unhappy over Goodells handling of the national anthem protests, but also do not like the way the relocation of two teams to Los Angeles was managed and the poor public relations caused by the NFLs botched investigation of Ray Rices domestic violence issue.
UPDATE: In the largest national anthem protest by NFL players to date, the majority of Houston Texans players took a knee during the anthem before their game with the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle.
The team was angry at owner Bob McNairs remarks referring to players as inmates and had contemplated several actions, including staying in the tunnel or an outright game boycott, apparently settling on kneeling. Reports indicate only about 10 Houston players stood during the anthem. It was the first time this year the Texans had protested during the anthem.
The Seahawks, who have been among the leagues more active protestors, also saw linemen Michael Bennett, Sheldon Richardson, Cliff Avril, Jarran Reed, Frank Clark, Quinton Jefferson, Marcus Smith, Branden Jackson and Nazair Jones kneel, with lineman Dion Jordan standing next to them. Also kneeling: offensive linemen Justin Britt and Oday Aboushi, and linebacker Michael Wilhoite.
CBS did not televise the protest, opting to continue coverage of a golf tournament before the game.
#1: nolu chan To: All (#0)
https://www.sbnation.com/2017/10/29/16567482/colin-kaepernick-nfl-players-coalition-roger-goodell-anthem-protest
nolu chan posted on 2017-10-30 09:09:03 Reply Private Reply
#2: nolu chan To: All (#0)
http://www.breitbart.com/sports/2017/10/29/east-coast-sports-reporter-leaves-lefty-bubble-finds-middle-americans-dislikes-anthem-protests/
nolu chan posted on 2017-10-30 09:09:35 Reply Private Reply
#3: Tooconservative To: nolu chan (#2)
He wrote only eight articles for Fox Sports in 2017 and five of those were just his mock-draft picks. He hasn't written anything for them since April.
He's described as a sidelines reporter as well, no record of how much he's working at that. He co-authored a couple of ho-hum books in 2012 and 2013.
And Pence walking out of the game in Indiana probably has fired up former fans in the state quite a bit.
Tooconservative posted on 2017-10-30 11:00:40 Reply Private Reply
#4: Tooconservative To: nolu chan (#0)
HotAir: Is Roger Goodell on his way out as NFL Commissioner?
Tooconservative posted on 2017-10-30 11:03:45 Reply Private Reply
#5: Liberator To: nolu chan (#2)
They would now be getting that "newflash." 8 weeks into the NFL schedule? Idiots.
Liberator posted on 2017-10-30 11:04:58 Reply Private Reply
#6: Liberator To: nolu chan (#1)
It's dead, Jim.
Liberator posted on 2017-10-30 11:07:04 Reply Private Reply
#7: Liberator To: nolu chan (#2)
Yup.
Liberator posted on 2017-10-30 11:08:17 Reply Private Reply
#8: misterwhite To: nolu chan (#0)
If the league did not accept an invitation for the meeting, the meeting was never scheduled. Meaning, there was nothing to cancel.
More correct to say the players withdrew their request for a meeting. Or the owners refused to meet.
misterwhite posted on 2017-10-30 11:15:32 Reply Private Reply
#9: nolu chan To: Tooconservative (#3)
nolu chan posted on 2017-10-30 20:02:46 Reply Private Reply
#10: nolu chan To: Tooconservative (#4)
It sounds more like, after this weekend, Jerry Jones is rounding up the owners to remove Goddell's sorry ass. It sounds more like he will be removed, rather than extended.
nolu chan posted on 2017-10-30 20:05:07 Reply Private Reply
#11: Tooconservative To: nolu chan (#9)
I didn't say that. I was just pointing out this is just some nobody at Fox Sports from what I could see. And now he's all "why out there in Indianissippi, all of my fellow-libs have no idea how mad they are".
Frankly, I think he made up the whole story. A real reporter would have got his phone or portable recorder out and started recording the taxi driver telling him to get out of the cab.
So I think his "story" is just made-up bullshit.
Tooconservative posted on 2017-10-30 20:07:17 Reply Private Reply
#12: Tooconservative To: nolu chan (#10)
I don't doubt he's trying and may get close but I'll be surprised if he gets it done.
For one thing, they'll all be asking Jones "who are we gonna get who is any better than Goodell?". And they kind of have a point.
And for no better reason than that, I still think Goodell gets his renewal.
Tooconservative posted on 2017-10-30 20:09:17 Reply Private Reply
#13: nolu chan To: misterwhite (#8)
It depends on whose spokesman is talking. Last week, both sides talked of a scheduled meeting, and after that, said Kaepernick had been invited. Now the players' spokesmen are saying the league did not accept their invitation and Kaepernick's spokesman says they were never aware of the widely reported meeting.
After this weekend, there is not much to talk about.
nolu chan posted on 2017-10-30 20:11:01 Reply Private Reply
#14: nolu chan To: Tooconservative (#12)
Any warm body will do. Before the ongoing fiasco, there was the Ray Rice fiasco.
They have lots of empty seats in the stands, and they have lost millions of TV viewers. It is a business, and Goodell is a disaster.
nolu chan posted on 2017-10-30 20:15:02 Reply Private Reply
#15: Tooconservative To: nolu chan (#14)
And who will they get and exactly what will he do that's any better?
Those owners are smart cookies. If there was a quick-n-easy fix, they would have had Goodell do it weeks back before things got this bad.
Tooconservative posted on 2017-10-30 20:18:41 Reply Private Reply