The NFL will likely allow players to continue to kneel during the national anthem this season. The league is reportedly in talks with the NFL Players Association to develop a strategy, but kneeling players won’t be fined or disciplined – and haven’t been in the past.
The news comes after President Donald Trump took to Twitter asking NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell if he was OK with players kneeling. Trump has sparred with the league over the issue before – in 2017 he said owners should fire players who kneeled during the anthem.
Last week, the league made a visible shift in its stance on social injustice, peaceful protests, and the Black Lives Matter movement when Goodell released a video apologizing for not listening to previous player protests. That came after a dozen NFL players urged the league to comment on the ongoing nationwide protests surrounding the death of George Floyd in their own video.
The NFL also pledged to donate $20 million to organizations fighting systemic racism last week.
![Former NFL Coache Jon Gruden have a laugh while attending an NFL training camp session ten at the Miller Electric Center, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]](https://frontofficesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/USATSI_26781802_168422351_lowres-scaled-e1784132043881.jpg?quality=80&w=300)
