3) Players were only recently required to stay on the field for the anthem
The “Star-Spangled Banner” has been played before NFL games for many years. But the league didn’t require players to be on the field for the ceremony until 2009. In previous years, teams were only only brought out for the national anthem during the Super Bowl and in the weeks after the September 11th attacks.
“As you know, the NFL has a long tradition of patriotism,” said NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy in 2016. “Players are encouraged but not required to stand for the anthem.”
That almost changed earlier this year, when the league proposed rules to banned all on-field demonstrations during the national anthem. The policy did give players the option to remain in the locker room, but anyone who stayed on the field would have been required to stand during the anthem. The league put those rules on hold after public backlash.
