NFL Rumors: Roger Goodell's letter to owners stated that players should stand up for national anthem following Colin Kaepernick outrage

In 2016, Colin Kaepernick began kneeling when the national anthem was played before the start of NFL games. He and his counterparts who joined him were subject to a lot of backlash from NFL fans who believed that anything political should be kept out of sporting events. A leaked memo from commissioner Roger Goodell shows that he sided with fans.

This memo was leaked a few years ago. Ainsley Earhart, a Fox & Friends on Fox News co-host, shared a segment on the issue from a few years back.

The memo was reportedly sent out to all 32 league owners in the wake of the kneeling protests. Apparently, Goodell believed that all players should stand during the national anthem.

Part of the leaked letter, which was posted to Facebook by a journalist at the time, read:

"Like many of our fans, we (the NFL) believe that everyone should stand for the national anthem. It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us..."

The leak reportedly came just a short while after the commissioner met with the Player's Association regarding the protests. They seemed to believe that Goodell intended to honor their constitutional right to protest. The leaked letter, however, indicates that it may not have been the case.

There were discussions about fines and even a loss of draft picks for teams that didn't enforce the standing rules, though nothing ever came of that.

Ratings were low at the time, largely due to the backlash against the kneeling protests. Fox News, in the video above, cited a drop of 17% for ESPN programming and 7% for Monday Night Football.

New England Patriots v Miami Dolphins

It is unclear exactly who wrote the letter and whether Goodell actually intended on punishing teams, or even players like Kaepernick, for protesting as it was only a leaked memo.

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Roger Goodell later changed his tune on Colin Kaepernick and the NFL's kneeling protests

San Francisco 49ers v Atlanta Falcons

According to the leaked memo, the NFL commissioner did not seem happy about Kaepernick and others kneeling.

It did seem to adversely affect ratings, so his qualms with the protests may have been purely financial.

Still, the league was reportedly displeased, but they eventually changed their tune. In 2021, following the death of George Floyd, NFL players spoke up, begging the commissioner to listen to them.

He obliged, and even apologized to Colin Kaepernick in the process, admitting he was wrong in response to the video:

“I wish we had listened earlier, Kaep, to what you were kneeling about and what you were trying to bring attention to.”