Colin Kaepernick refuses “to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people”...

Sources: Anthem issue delays Goodell contract

The debate over NFL player protests during the national anthem has become so big within the league that it has delayed the completion of commissioner Roger Goodell's contract extension, league sources told ESPN.

Goodell's deal is still expected to be completed and has been papered, sources told ESPN, but the process has been slowed while the overwhelming majority of the NFL's attention has been diverted to handling the anthem issue, which has affected TV ratings, merchandise sales and the country's feelings about football.

Had the issue not existed, Goodell's contract might have been completed at last week's owners meeting in New York, sources said. However, because the issue has become so critical to the league, the NFL's compensation committee spent about only 20 minutes Wednesday discussing Goodell's extension, with Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank leading those talks, sources told ESPN.

The committee still insists Goodell's deal will be completed, but there is other business that currently is more pressing.

"The anthem issue has overridden everything -- and I do mean everything," one source told ESPN.

The focus on the issue has overshadowed other league business as well.

At last week's meetings, owners discussed making a dramatic shift from papered game tickets to all-digital ticketing, which will be in place for the 2018 season, sources told ESPN. The NFL also announced the 2018 draft would be held in Dallas, which will host the first draft held inside a stadium. Neither topic received as much attention as the anthem issue.

Jerry Jones says NFL 'suffering' from protests

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones' concerns about the protests during the national anthem are not just about what is good for his team but what is good for the NFL.

"There is no question the league is suffering negative effects from these protests," Jones said.

Two weeks ago Jones said if any of his players "disrespect the flag," during the national anthem that they would be benched. At a league meeting in New York, owners and players had open dialogue about the protests but no change was made to the league's policy that does not mandate players to stand during the anthem.

The Cowboys have not had a player protest during the national anthem. On Sunday, defensive end David Irving briefly raised his fist at the end of the anthem, like he had Oct. 8 against the Green Bay Packers.

"I know that he was very deliberate during the anthem and of course that's the issue with me," Jones said after the Cowboys' 40-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers. "I'm very proud of the way they all handled themselves."

Irving stood during the anthem with a fist over his heart. He quickly raised his fist at the end. Damontre Moore, who raised his fist at the end of the anthem against the Packers as well, did not raise his fist Sunday. Instead he gave a quick salute.

Irving said, "I wouldn't want to disrespect the anthem; wait until it's over."

"I've been asked that for the past three weeks, my statement is my statement," Irving said. "That was a statement, nothing really to say about it. If you are in a position I am in or everyone else in this locker room is, you have to watch what you say, play things as smart as you can. I'm not going to speak on this, certain things are better off left unsaid."

The Niners had seven players kneel during the anthem. Jones said he was aware of the protests San Francisco have had for more than a year, but he was not concerned with what the 49ers did.

"My interests is how the Cowboys are conducting themselves as players both on and off, again I just can't tell you how proud I am of the players," Jones said.

Jones' interests also focus on the success of the NFL. He said he has heard from sponsors about the protests.

"Our ability to be substantive is based on having a strong NFL, a league that people are really interested in and want to watch and want to watch the games," Jones said. "At all times, if I am anything, I am first and foremost a proponent of making the NFL strong. Making us have as many people watching the game as we can and watching in light of what we are doing and that's playing football. If all this makes you stronger to represent messages, let's don't do it in a way that tears down the strength of the NFL."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpEtdVmWG1I

Waiter refuses to serve MLB player who knelt for National Anthem

As Colin Kaepernick’s protest of police brutality and racial discrimination spread throughout the NFL, and even to other countries in 2017, one major sports league was noticeable immune to the threat of players peacefully protesting by taking a knee during the National Anthem. Bruce Maxwell was the first, and to this point only, MLB player to kneel for “The Star Bangled Banner” this season. For his trouble, the Oakland A’s catcher was denied service by a waiter in his hometown of Huntsville, Alabama.

“I wasn’t even home four hours and I got denied service at lunch,” Maxwell told TMZ Sports.

Maxwell was eating lunch with his old classmate, city councilman Devyn Keith, and the waiter at the restaurant remembered him for his protest.

“He was like ‘oh, yeah, you’re that guy, huh?'” Maxwell recounted. “I was like ‘excuse me?’ He goes, ‘You’re the guy that took a knee?’ He goes, ‘I voted for Trump, and I stand for everything he stands for.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, really?’ And our councilman went and got their manager and had some words with him and took him off of our table and put us another person on our table. That’s where I’m from.”

Keith and Maxwell decided not to name the restaurant because they didn’t want to hurt a local business. Keith also made it clear he blames that particular waiter as opposed to the restaurant as a whole.

“I believe in the fact that this was an idiot doing a stupid thing than a small business doing something wrong,” Keith told The Washington Post.

“I’m really over that happening and it’s BS,” Maxwell also told WaPo via text.

Keep in mind Trump, Pence, and seemingly everyone else who had a problem with players kneeling for the National Anthem claimed they were offended on behalf of The Troops, who were somehow being disrespected by this display. Regardless of the fact the original protest never had anything to do with that, Maxwell made it explicitly clear that, even though he was kneeling, he put his hand over his heart to show respect for the military.

It’s almost like all these people who are ? off at a peaceful protest are actually just racist.

Kaepernick invite expected for next meeting

Former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick is expected to be invited to the next meeting between NFL players and owners, a league spokesman said Wednesday.

That meeting is scheduled Tuesday in New York.

NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said he expects Kaepernick will be invited, although there is no confirmation whether he would attend the meeting. The invitation will be extended by the players, not the league, Lockhart said on the league's weekly conference call.

"We look forward to him joining the conversation," Lockhart said.

Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins invited Kaepernick to a special meeting between NFL owners and players Oct. 17 in New York. That meeting included 13 current or former players, plus 11 owners and representatives from the league and the NFL Players Association.

Kaepernick, who filed a grievance against the NFL owners on Oct. 15, alleging they colluded to keep him out of the league, did not attend that meeting. He is not working through the NFLPA, but has hired high-profile lawyer Mark Geragos to represent him.

Kaepernick attracted national attention in 2016 when he kneeled during the national anthem before games, saying he did so to protest social injustice. His action led to a movement that spread throughout the NFL, but has been vilified by high-profile critics, including President Donald Trump.

The quarterback has not played for an NFL team since he exercised a clause in his contract and left the 49ers in March. At that time, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Kaepernick said he would stand during the anthem if he played in 2017.