{"id":8535,"date":"2018-05-04T13:39:57","date_gmt":"2018-05-04T20:39:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=8535"},"modified":"2018-05-04T13:41:14","modified_gmt":"2018-05-04T20:41:14","slug":"inside-the-confidential-n-f-l-meeting-to-discuss-national-anthem-protests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2018\/05\/04\/inside-the-confidential-n-f-l-meeting-to-discuss-national-anthem-protests\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Confidential N.F.L. Meeting to Discuss National Anthem Protests"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0KEN BELSON<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0MARK LEIBOVICH<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>

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From left: DeMaurice Smith, Eric Reid, Bob McNair and Roger Goodell.<\/span>\u00a0Credit<\/span>Associated Press<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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N.F.L. owners, players and league executives, about 30 in all, convened urgently at the league\u2019s headquarters on Park Avenue in October, nearly a month after President Trump began deriding the league and its players over protests during the national anthem.<\/p>\n

It was an extraordinary summit; rarely do owners and players meet in this manner. But the president\u2019s remarks about players who were kneeling during the anthem had catalyzed a level of public hostility that the N.F.L. had never experienced. In the spirit of partnership at the meeting, the owners decided that they and the players should sit in alternating seats around the large table, which featured an N.F.L. logo in the middle.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s make sure that we keep this confidential,\u201d Commissioner Roger Goodell said to begin the session.<\/p>\n

The New York Times has obtained an audio recording of the roughly three-hour meeting, and several people in the room corroborated details of the gathering. The unvarnished conversation reveals how the leaders of the most dominant sports league in the country and several of its most outspoken players confronted an unprecedented moment \u2014 mostly by talking past one another.<\/p>\n

Photo<\/span><\/figure>\n
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Top row, from left: Terry Pegula, Jeffrey Lurie, Arthur Blank. Middle row: Chris Long, Robert Kraft, Anquan Boldin. Bottom row: Shahid Khan, Stephen Ross, John Mara.<\/span>\u00a0Credit<\/span>Photos by Associated Press and Getty Images<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The players sounded aggrieved. After discussing a proposal to finance nonprofit groups to address player concerns, they wanted to talk about why Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback who started the anthem protests to highlight social injustice and police brutality against African-Americans, was, they believed, being blackballed by the owners. The owners sounded panicked about their business under attack, and wanted to focus on damage control.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIf he was on a roster right now, all this negativeness and divisiveness could be turned into a positive,\u201d Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Chris Long said at the meeting.<\/p>\n

Long said he did not wish to \u201clecture any team\u201d on what quarterbacks to sign, but \u201cwe all agree in this room as players that he should be on a roster.\u201d The owners\u2019 responses were noncommittal. The Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said that fighting for social justice is not \u201cabout one person.\u201d<\/p>\n

The New England Patriots owner Robert K. Kraft pointed to another \u201celephant in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis kneeling,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem we have is, we have a president who will use that as fodder to do his mission that I don\u2019t feel is in the best interests of America,\u201d said Kraft, who is a longtime supporter of Mr. Trump\u2019s. \u201cIt\u2019s divisive and it\u2019s horrible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The owners were intent on finding a way to avoid Trump\u2019s continued criticism. The president\u2019s persistent jabs on Twitter had turned many fans against the league. Lurie, who called Trump\u2019s presidency \u201cdisastrous,\u201d cautioned against players getting drawn into the president\u2019s tactics.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got to be careful not to be baited by Trump or whomever else,\u201d Lurie said. \u201cWe have to find a way to not be divided and not get baited.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula sounded anguished over the uncertainty of when Trump would take another shot at the league. \u201cAll Donald needs to do is to start to do this again,\u201d Pegula said. \u201cWe need some kind of immediate plan because of what\u2019s going on in society. All of us now, we need to put a Band-Aid on what\u2019s going on in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan countered that the worst was behind them. \u201cAll the damage Trump\u2019s going to do is done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The owners kept returning to one bottom-line issue: Large numbers of fans and sponsors had become angry about the protests. Boycotts had been threatened and jerseys burned and \u2014 most worrisome \u2014 TV ratings were declining.<\/p>\n