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Did NFL Players Really Start Standing for National Anthem After Government Paid Them? Exploring Viral Rumor
A look at a viral claim where it has been said that the NFL players started standing for the national anthem after the government started paying them.
Back in 2009, a post went viral claiming that National Football League (NFL) players only started appearing on the field for the National Anthem after the government paid the league for patriotic displays.
This claim resurfaced amid tensions between the league and then-President Donald Trump. So, how much of this viral claim is true? Let's find out.
Did NFL players only start standing for the US National Anthem after getting paid by the government?
The claim is false! The tradition of NFL players standing on the sidelines for the national anthem is not something that has been in place forever.
This practice only started a few years ago. According to National Football League (NFL) spokesman Brian McCarthy, it began in 2009 before the start of primetime games, where “players are encouraged, but not required, to stand for the anthem.”
Before this, it was up to the franchise whether they wanted to appear on the field for the national anthem or skip it, reports fact-checking site Snopes. Players were often required to stay in the locker room except for the Super Bowl.
According to a CNN report in 2017, there was no evidence that NFL teams were paid to bring the players on the field as part of "paid patriotism" initiatives.
Additionally, via the aforementioned source, Major Dave Eastburn, the Pentagon spokesman, revealed that “the DoD does not require or request that athletes be on the field during the playing of the national anthem when military members are part of the patriotic opener.”
Around 200 players decided to kneel down during the national anthem in 2017
Since 2016, several American players have begun protesting against racism in the United States by kneeling during the national anthem. This protest later extended to criticism of President Trump's actions against those involved in the movement.
In the NFL, the protest started when San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick knelt ahead of preseason games in 2016. He was soon joined by other players in what became known as "taking a knee."
In 2017, Trump expressed his disappointment on X (formerly Twitter) and denounced the players who knelt during the national anthem to protest racism in the country. According to the 45th president of the United States, it was "total disrespect" as "Courageous Patriots have fought and died for our great American Flag — we MUST honor and respect it!"
Around 200 players from the league decided to kneel during the national anthem in a show of solidarity. Several players from teams like the Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, and Pittsburgh Steelers opted to skip the anthem entirely in 2017. According to USA Today, NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart stated that the players would not face any punishments for their actions.
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