NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell expressed support Monday for the growing movement by players league-wide to have demonstrations of unity or protest during the playing of the national anthem, adding that he does not believe that the players intend to be disrespectful of the U.S. flag or the military.
Seattle Seahawks players locked arms during the anthem Sunday, on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, in a show of unity.
Other players recently have followed the lead of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in refusing to stand for the anthem. Kaepernick has said he is protesting the treatment of African Americans.
Goodell’s comments Monday were his most extensive thus far on the topic.
“As I said before, and I think this is another aspect that was powerful in Seattle, is seeing the unity and the fact that they felt: ‘We want to do this together. We want to make a difference together in the community,’ ” Goodell said. “I think that’s a very positive thing. We obviously believe in patriotism. We believe in our military personnel that fight for our freedoms. And we also believe in law enforcement and making sure that we do what is necessary to respect them and support them. We’re not a perfect society. And when there are things that are wrong, we all want to try to make them better. That’s what made our country great.”