CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor was very much in line with the NFL Players’ Association and the believe that their officers should have had a place at the table when the topic of National Anthem protests was discussed during NFL Owners’ Meetings in Atlanta this week.
According to a statement tweeted out by the NFLPA, the league did not consult the union when deciding that all players and team and league personnel on the field prior to a game are required to stand and “show respect for the flag and the Anthem.”
“To make a decision that strong, you would hope that the players had input on it, but obviously not,” Taylor said after Wednesday’s OTA practice in Berea. “It is what we have to deal with as players. Not a good or a bad thing, but at the end of the day, they call the shots and make the rules. That is what we have to abide by.”
Following the decision, the NFL released a six-point outlining their reasoning.
All team and league personnel “shall stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem,” but the previous requirement to be on the field for its playing has been removed.
Personnel who do not choose to stand for the Anthem will be permitted to stay in the locker room “or similar location off the field” until its conclusion.
A club will be fined by the league should personnel be on the field and refuse to stand.
Parent clubs have the right to develop their own rules for personnel who do not stand for the Anthem, and the Commissioner has discretion to hand down “discipline for league personnel who do not stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem.”
“We have to abide by it,” Taylor said. “Instead, let’s try to shift the conversation to what players and owners can do in the community. We have great support from our owners here, and they are willing to back us in the community in whatever we want to do.”
The Browns joined a long list of players and teams who staged protests during the National Anthem prior to their 10-6 win over the New York Giants at FirstEnergy Stadium last August.
Wide receivers Kenny Britt and Ricardo Louis, defensive backs Jamar Taylor, Calvin Pryor and Najee Murray, running backs Isaiah Crowell, Duke Johnson Jr., Brandon Wilds and Terrence Magee, linebackers Christian Kirksey and Jamie Collins, rookie safety Jabrill Peppers and tight end Seth DeValve huddled in a circle behind their teammates on the sideline, knelt and held hands during the National Anthem.
Rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer, offensive linemen Shon Coleman and Marcus Martin, defensive back Jason McCourty and punter Britton Colquitt expressed their support by placing their hands on the shoulders of kneeling teammates while standing.
The Browns resumed their silent demonstrations during the National Anthem prior to their Week 3 game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis as 21 players knelt on the sideline while facing a field-sized American Flag and several others locked arms in a show of unity and defiance.
“I know one thing that I am most proud about is the way our players handled it this past year and Dee and Jimmy and what they have done with the summits they have had with our players, and all of the dialogue we have had with about these things I think have been spectacular,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said.
“I am sure that we will discuss it further, but I think our organization has kind of really taken a step forward with that to address what was going on.”
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