KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Reactions have been mixed to Wednesday’s announcement of a new national anthem policy in the NFL, but a local law professor says the league has the right to make the policy.
University of Missouri – Kansas City Law Professor Allen Rostron said Wednesday that the NFL Commission does have the right to require NFL football players to stand during the anthem.
The new policy requires players on the field during the anthem to stand. Players not interested in standing should stay off the field.
"Your constitutional rights, your civil rights can only be violated by the government. "The National Football League and all the teams in the league are not the government, they are private employers and private businesses and so in general, they can tell their employees what to do," Rostron said.
He also disputed claims that the new, no-kneeling rule, is racist. Most of the players who kneeled were African Americans protesting what they believe is inequality and injustice in America.
Rostron said that legal challenge would likely not prevail in court.
"The league would say we're not really dividing whether you're white or black or other races - we're just doing it by whether you protest," Rostron added.
The NFL Players Association is reviewing the policy to determine if the new policy against kneeling violates their collective bargaining agreement with the league. If they believe it does, leaders said they will challenge it in court.
