NFL Considering What Could Be the Dumbest Idea of All Time
By Kyle Koster
The NFL has a bit of a national anthem problem on its hands in case you haven’t noticed and owners are keen to solve it before the 2018 gets going. Someone at some level, has cooked up what could be the dumbest idea ever formulated and carried it past the infancy stage, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Per sources, one anthem idea being discussed: Leaving it up to home team on whether teams come out for the anthem; if teams do come out for the anthem, potential that teams could be assessed 15-yard penalties for kneeling.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) May 22, 2018
That is pure and uncut weapons-grade stupidity bound to be hated by people of all social and political persuasions. Those who don’t want kneeling during the anthem will see it as a slap on the wrist — a pittance to pay for disrespecting the flag. Those who support the protests will have a field day with the NFL trying to penalize the fight for equal rights the same way it penalizes facemasking.
You could put a group of 40 people in a room for 8 hours, charge them with coming up with the worst possible way for the NFL to handle the topic, and they couldn’t come up with this. And that’s with an open bar.
We’re going to need much more information on this. Like, what if players from both teams kneel? Is that offsetting? Are referees actually going to throw a physical flag and announce “KNEELING ON THE KICKING TEAM,” as the crowd lustily erupts in partisan bickering?
The NFL will be a laughingstock if this idea comes to fruition.