This sums up my views about all of this NFL BULLSHIT:
Actions speak louder than words! I'm not okay with any of the NFL's double standards! Where were these players and the NFL, team, or owners protests for domestic violence, child abuse, animal abuse, rape, or murder? Let’s take a little walk down memory lane:

•Ray Rice knocked his girlfriend out cold in an elevator. Remember that? No one protested his return to the league after a two game suspension. Two lousy games!

•Everyone knows about Mike Vick. Multimillionaire who conducted dog fights to their deaths in his backyard! What was that about? Was he hard up for a little extra cash? I never remember a team, owner, manager, or player protesting THAT, do you?

•What about Adrian Peterson? Remember when he beat his own child so badly it broke the skin on the back of his legs? I don’t remember the sanctimonious Kaepernick kneeling down for that one, do you?

•What about Ben RAPEthlisburger who cornered a young girl in a bathroom at Georgia College in Milledgeville and had his bodyguard watch the door while he raped her? I can’t remember the Steelers protesting that, do you?

•What about O.J. Simpson? He killed TWO people, nearly decapitating his ex-wife! But the NFL still shows highlights of “The Juice” running his way into the football hall of fame. Funny how it works, isn’t it?

•Remember “L.T.”? That’s right; if you grew up in the 80s you probably remember Lawrence Taylor. He was a crack-head who liked to party with 16 year old girls! I don’t remember anyone protesting his despicable behavior. Do you?

•How many people out there remember Lawrence Phillips? Feel free to ‘Google’ him. It will blow your mind.

•Anyone remember Mark Gastineau? He was a notorious wife-beater piece of garbage. There weren’t any “protests” against him, were there?

Now, suddenly NFL players have appointed themselves the moral compass for our country? I DON'T THINK SO!

Where were their “free speech” standards when:

•Tim Tebow took a knee for prayer and it was unacceptable.

•The Dallas Cowboys were NOT allowed to wear a decal honoring the five murdered Dallas Police Officers who were brutally slaughtered for the crime of wearing a “blue uniform”.

•NFL Players were ordered NOT to wear 9/11 cleats in honor of nearly 3,000 innocent victims, which included well over 400 first responders and firefighters; thousands of Americans working in the Twin Towers of the WTC. Not to mention all the passengers on flight 93, who bravely fought back against radical islamic terrorists and lost their lives for it!

None of THOSE patriotic, heartfelt tributes were allowed on the football field but this latest display of disrespectful, divisive kneeling during the National Anthem is not only allowed it’s condoned by professional teams across the country; and by many team owners as well as the NFL AND Roger Goodell himself!

Funny, but I thought this was about equality. Where IS the equality in that?

Either ALL of the players are EQUALLY allowed to make personal political statements on the playing field or NONE of them are. The NFL and Roger Goodell need to make up their minds!

Or else they represent NOTHING but hypocrisy.

Times change, so do people and so do laws and attitudes.

All of the above are despicable acts and many went unpunished, but would they get away with that now?

Freedom of speech is the greatest and most sacrosanct of actions and without it you do not have democracy.

By the same token, where was YOUR outrage over all of the above? Why is it that people kneeling to protest against systemic racism in our society is somehow WORSE than everything you listed above? Funny, isn't it, how THIS is what's provoked your (and others) outrage, and not any of the other stuff. Folks are seemingly okay with rapists and domestic abusers getting slaps on the wrist, but God forbid these players exercise their right to free speech. THAT'S the straw that broke the camel's back for you? Really? How is this not a post lambasting the outrage people are expressing at kneeling players? The irony can't be lost on you, right? Beyond that, what even is your point in all that top bit? Are you suggesting players should be kneeling instead to protest Ray Rice and AP? How would that make any sense? Do you know anything about why people are kneeling?

https://youtu.be/ADPDGIuXl98

And I bit my tongue the first time you posted that garbage about Tebow but enough is enough. In what way did the league discriminate against his prayer celebration? Was he fined? Flagged? Suspended? Sanctioned? Punished in literally any way? No. You just have a persecution complex that's completely divorced from reality. Tim Tebow isn't in the league because he was one of the worst QBs to ever step onto the field, and he still made bank from jersey sales despite that. Kaepernick on the other hand isn't in the league because he's a middling back-up quality QB who massively pissed off folks like you by taking a stand (er, kneel?) against the treatment of minorities in our nation by law enforcement and the judicial system, and as a consequence has been blackballed from the league (just like what happened to Chris Kluwe). If Kaepernick were league average or better quality, some team would find a way to overlook it, but if a player is deemed expendable teams just don't want to bother courting the controversy, even if it means trotting out an embarrassment like Scott Tolzien as your day one starter.

As for the other two examples... those are both uniform code violations which the league for whatever stupid reason takes very seriously... the latter of which happens to also be false:

http://www.snopes.com/nfl-fining-players-for-wearing-911-memorial-cleats/

Either way, silly as it may be, this would actually be one of the seemingly rare instances of the NFL being consistent and NOT hypocritical since it's absolutely (again, idiotically) draconian about its uniform policies. And you can't seriously be making a case that the league is anti-any of that stuff. The military literally pays the NFL to run propaganda for them throughout the season, so there's never any shortage of jingoistic patriotism on display if that's what you're hankering for more of.

But more to the point, none of that has absolutely any bearing on non-league endorsed actions by players during the league-sanctioned playing of the national anthem. Even so, what's your argument? Do you want free speech curtailed or expanded? 'Cause if you make a petition to get rid of the ridiculous standardized-cleats-only uniform policy I'll be your first signature. Or are you only for free speech when its used to reflect your own preferences and politics?

If you want to complain about the NFL being hypocritical, I'm right there with you. They're a corrupt and narrow minded organization, but your complaints have absolutely nothing to do with that. You're just upset and want to couch it in any possible way other than that you don't like black athletes taking a brief political stance before games.

Free speech is a right and that right especially includes the right to offend. Without the right to offend you have no free speech rights.

There is no right to be protected from hurt feelings or offense. Nothing in the constitution or bill of rights guarantees that you can go through life without getting your feelings hurt or being offended and nothing requires the government to protect you from hurt feelings. The constitution DOES specifically guarantee you the right to speak freely and it is the government's obligation to protect that right.

Well said Booger.

Why does the NFL choose to ignore their own rule requiring players to stand during the National Anthem?

The entire message of what these players are protesting is buried under the controversy over how they are protesting.

Dear Sir;
Although I respect your opinion, I wish you would respect mine.

Colin Kaepernick began the protest to bring attention to police brutality against Blacks. However, after opting out of a contract, by his choice mind you, and not being picked up by any team as a free agent, Colin then stated that he would now stand for the Anthem. Let me ask you this....Other than being unemployed, what has changed in 1 year? Basically, Kaepernick is a ***** chasing the money.

The current protests are in response to our elected President's opinions, which is also guaranteed under the right of Freedom of Speech. If the players / league wanted show unity, they should have found a better way. Although I have NO PROBLEM with locking arms as a show of unity, it has also became tainted.

Kneeling now against the Anthem is NOT a protest against its original intentions, but more towards a protest of "I DON"T LIKE WHAT YOU SAID"


Johnny Manziel also isn't in the league because he's a middling back-up quality QB who happened to have a better record than Colin. And I will leave it at that. Difference is as noticeable as being Black and White.
Free speech is a right and that right especially includes the right to offend. Without the right to offend you have no free speech rights.

There is no right to be protected from hurt feelings or offense. Nothing in the constitution or bill of rights guarantees that you can go through life without getting your feelings hurt or being offended and nothing requires the government to protect you from hurt feelings. The constitution DOES specifically guarantee you the right to speak freely and it is the government's obligation to protect that right.


And this, Sir, describes you as the racist you are

thnx

Being a decent human being does not need a bill of rights or any other law, but they exist because some people need to be shown where those boundaries are, but despite this line in the sand often step over it.
I'm 51 years old and have never seen the world so unstable in so many countries, these are worrying times where a little humanity is needed.

I can see this thread going downhill fast, lets see who can't be civil first.

I can sum all that up in 2 words: College Football