In an email, Brian McCarthy, the NFL’s vice president of communications, shared the portion of the manual that addresses the anthem, and that language is what has been shared on social media but mistakenly attributed to the rulebook.
McCarthy stressed that passage about the national anthem is a guideline and not a requirement. The key words in the operations manual are “should” and “may” and not “must.” No player is required to stand at attention.
That’s why the league has never issued a punishment for a player who didn’t follow the recommendation.
“There is no discipline being considered for any action yesterday,” McCarthy said Monday.
teedubbya wrote: