Colin Kaepernick was 'not invited' to National Football League talks about anthem protests

NFL owners expressed their belief that players should stand for the national anthem in meetings Wednesday but focused on how the league can address the concerns of players who are protesting during it, commissioner Roger Goodell said.

According to our sources, though, it is the second motivation that may be more in play here and that is that Kaepernick is a true believer, and that he knows he's going to lose but by pursuing his cause he can keep it on the front pages for some time to come as National Football League owners clearly began a focus on finding ways to get it out of the headlines at their meetings earlier this week.

"Evidence of a meeting or conference call among a group of owners in which they discussed him and collectively agreed to say that nobody should hire him at this point", says Balitis - in reference to what he would need to prove the case.

"Unfortunately, people want to change the paradigm so to speak or shift over the discussion to make this anti-American; it's anything but", Geragos continued.

Goodell noted that only six or seven players are now protesting during the national anthem and said the league is going to work to make that number zero by addressing the underlying issues of those protests.

The Miami Dolphins have said that players may remain in the tunnel or locker room if they object to standing for the national anthem, while Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said he will bench any player who refuses to stand. It's an important part of our policy and the game.

When asked if he understood why players were protesting, Goodell said that players have been "clear" on why they kneel for the anthem. "It's pro-American, it's trying to make America exactly what it's supposed to be". ". They're talking about criminal justice reform, whether it's bail reform".

The bipartisan bill, sponsored by chairman Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, would also enact mandatory minimum sentences for domestic violence offenders.

"We started this to raise awareness and to effectuate change". We believe in that. "They have a very deep understanding and tremendous knowledge of the issues that are going on in all of our communities, and their commitment to addressing these issues is really admirable".

"I understand where fans feel on this issue and we feel the same way. About the importance of our flag, about the importance of patriotism", Goodell said. I think if you look at our clubs and what they do on a daily basis, I think if you look at our players and what they did and how they participate in that.

The owners also talked about the league's partnerships, including one with Ticketmaster, and received a health and safety report.