Seahawks coach Pete Carroll wanted to be talking about football matters r11; Seattler17;s recommitment to the run game Kyzir White Jersey , the addition of two new coordinators, almost anything to do with what happens between the lines.
Instead, the leaguer17;s oldest coach has spent the past few days processing and discussing the leaguer17;s new mandate that players on the field stand for the national anthem. Carroll, his players and those around the NFL are now trying to figure out how to tackle the polarizing topic in the locker room.
r1;Wer17;re going to have to deal with that,r1; Carroll said. r1;I was kind of liking the way it was going and so now itr17;s kind of taken out of the control from the coach and the players and the locker room to a certain extent, so wer17;re going to have to deal with that. In time, wer17;ll figure it out.r1;
Players from Seattle, Buffalo, Denver and New Orleans were among those grappling with how to move forward following the leaguer17;s announcement Wednesday of a new national anthem policy, which will fine teams if players on the field are not standing for the anthem. Players wishing to continue demonstrations like the kneeling movement sparked by Colin Kaepernick to protest social injustice will be allowed to remain in the locker room during the anthem.
Seattler17;s Doug Baldwin had the most striking comments, directed at both the league and President Donald Trump after his remarks to r1;Fox & Friendsr1; on Thursday saying r1;maybe you shouldnr17;t be in the countryr1; if you donr17;t stand for the anthem.
r1;Her17;s an idiot. Plain and simple Eddie Vanderdoes Jersey ,r1; Baldwin said. r1;I respect the man because her17;s a human being first and foremost, but her17;s just being divisive, which is not surprising. It is what it is. But for him to say anybody who doesnr17;t follow his viewpoints or his constituents viewpoints should be kicked out of the country is not very empathetic. Itr17;s not very American like, actually, to me. Itr17;s not very patriotic. Itr17;s not what this country was founded upon. Itr17;s kind of ironic to me the President of the United States is contradicting what our country is really built on.r1;
Even normally reserved Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson agreed with the sentiment that the ownersr17; decision was a message to players to essentially be quiet.
r1;Pretty much. I think thatr17;s part of it. It seems that way,r1; Wilson said. r1;But I think a policy right or wrong is not going to fix our problems.r1;
The new policy allows teams to adopt their own workplace rules, which many players interpreted as a backhanded way of subjecting them to fines, suspensions or loss of jobs should they carry on with the protests.
Players are also frustrated the league didnr17;t consult with the playersr17; association before announcing the policy.
r1;I mean, they werenr17;t ever going to engage us anyway. When you really think about it, why would we have a say-so?r1; Denver linebacker Brandon Marshall said. r1;I think they should have, right Ahkello Witherspoon Jersey , but I guess they donr17;t look at us like that, to have a say-so or input in this policy.r1;
Others around the league didnr17;t see the policy as a potential issue.
r1;Ir17;m really not too worried about it. I would expect that everybodyr17;s gonna be out there with their hand over their heart, showing respect to the flag and to the country,r1; New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees said.
But teammate Demario Davis had mixed emotions about the policy. His father served in the military, but he also understands why players have been protesting.
r1;I just think that when you love something r11; you care about it r11; you want to work to get it right. I love my children. When they do wrong things, Ir17;m going to let them know theyr17;re doing wrong things. Ir17;m not just going to sweep it under the rug because I love them,r1; Davis said.
r1;I think thatr17;s the difference between patriotism and nationalism. Nationalism is loving your country just to love it, you know, even when itr17;s right or wrong, your17;re going to take the side of your country. Patriotism is loving it enough to sacrifice for it, but also to call it (out) when itr17;s wrong.
r1;The people who are speaking up for the people who are hurting have a deep love and devotion for our country. Thatr17;s kind of gotten misconstrued at times. But itr17;s important for people to understand that.r1;
The decision by the owners was an attempt to quell a firestorm by moving protests away from the public eye and potentially lure back disgruntled fans. But in the process they may have disgruntled their employees and rekindled what appeared to be an issue that was dying down.
r1;With this policy Joshua Garnett Jersey , with the inflammatory statement that Roger Goodell put out (Wednesday) again you opened the door for response and again to my point earlier, I think they missed it on that one,r1; Baldwin said.
r12;
AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton and AP Sports Writer Brett Martel contributed to this report.
r12;
Terrell Owens was released from the Edmonton Eskimos' negotiation list Friday, leaving the 44-year-old former NFL receiver free to sign with any other Canadian Football League team.
Earlier, Owens activated a 10-day window to receive a contract offer from the Eskimos by Tuesday. Edmonton placed Owens, who last played in the NFL in 2010, on its 45-man negotiation list June 19, shortly after he posted a video of himself running a 4.43-second 40-yard dash.
Jason Staroszik, the Edmonton-based agent handling Owens' CFL negotiations, said the Eskimos' decision won't dampen the receiver's enthusiasm about resuming his football career in Canada.
"It's definitely not over," Staroszik said. "Terrell could still sign as a free agent with any team that's interested. We might see another team put him on their negotiation list. Hopefully there's another team with an interest Rodney Hudson Jersey , I feel there is, so we'll see what happens."
Owens will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next month in Canton, Ohio, but declined an invitation to the enshrinement ceremony. Instead, Owens will deliver his Hall of Fame speech at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, his alma mater.
