The NFL and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) on Thursday said that no new rules regarding the national anthem would be issued or enforced as they discuss how to move forward on the divisive issue.
The joint statement came after a report that the Miami Dolphins issued conduct rules indicating that players could be suspended for protesting on the field during the pre-game playing of The Star-Spangled Banner.
“The NFL and NFLPA, through recent discussions, have been working on a resolution to the anthem issue,” the league and association said in a joint statement.
“In order to allow this constructive dialogue to continue, we have come to a standstill agreement on the NFLPA’s grievance and on the NFL’s anthem policy,” it said. “No new rules relating to the anthem will be issued or enforced for the next several weeks while these confidential discussions are ongoing.”
The association this month filed a grievance against the policy approved by club owners in May, which requires players and all team personnel on the sidelines to stand during the anthem or teams would be fined.
Players have the option of staying in the locker room while the anthem is played, but the union said that the new rule was “inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement and infringes on player rights.”
The report of the Dolphins’ possible disciplinary measures added renewed urgency to the issue, although ESPN reported that “multiple sources” with the Dolphins and the NFL said the team was submitting potential policies as required by every team before training camp.
One Dolphins source told ESPN that the team had not discussed suspensions for protesting during the national anthem.
In filing the grievance, the NFLPA proposed confidential discussions with the league.
“The NFL and NFLPA reflect the great values of America, which are repeatedly demonstrated by the many players doing extraordinary work in communities across our country to promote equality, fairness and justice,” the statement said. “Our shared focus will remain on finding a solution to the anthem issue through mutual, good faith commitments, outside of litigation.”
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB