New York Jets co-owner and chairman Christopher Johnson has offered to pay fines at his team in relation to a new NFL policy to penalise teams if their players kneel on the field during the national anthem.
The NFL voted unanimously to enforce the policy which allows players who don't wish to stand for the national anthem to remain in the dressing room.
Christopher Johnson CEO of the New York Jets stand in unison with his team during the National Anthem prior to an NFL game against the Miami Dolphins. Source: Getty Images
But teams would be penalised with a fine should they take the field and kneel during the 'Star-Spangled Banner'.
"I do not like imposing any club-specific rules,” Mr Johnson said.
"If somebody [on the Jets] takes a knee, that fine will be borne by the organisation, by me, not the players. I never want to put restrictions on the speech of our players. Do I prefer that they stand? Of course. But I understand if they felt the need to protest.
"There are some big, complicated issues that we’re all struggling with, and our players are on the front lines. I don’t want to come down on them like a ton of bricks, and I won’t. There will be no club fines or suspensions or any sort of repercussions. If the team gets fined, that’s just something I’ll have to bear."
Christopher's brother Woody Johnson is a co-owner of the Jets, but also has a role in the administration of US President Donald Trump as ambassador to the UK.
During the past season, no Jets player took a knee during the national anthem, but Johnson joined the team when they linked arms during the anthem.
Some NFL players knelt during the anthem last year to protest police shootings of unarmed black men, sparking a controversy as Trump criticised the players as being unpatriotic.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday announced a new policy that will fine teams if players on the field fail to stand during the "Star-Spangled Banner." Players who choose not to stand may now remain in the locker room until after the anthem is finished.
The NFL Players Association criticised the new policy, saying it was not consulted and that it may issue a challenge should it violate the collective bargaining agreement.
"The vote by NFL club CEOs today contradicts the statements made to our player leadership by Commissioner Roger Goodell and the Chairman of the NFL’s Management Council John Mara about the principles, values and patriotism of our League," the NFLPA statement read.
The policy rekindled the debate about whether kneeling is an affront to America or a patriotic expression of free speech, and has again pitted billionaire owners against mostly African-American players.
"Telling peaceful protesters to leave and do it behind closed doors is dangerous and un-American," the American Civil Liberties Union said on Twitter.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday, but Vice President Mike Pence tweeted a headline about the new policy with the comment "#Winning."
However, there were some signs of dissension among team owners. San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York said his team abstained from the league vote on the policy, The New York Times reported.
The kneeling controversy rattled a $US14 billion ($AUD18.5 billion) industry and its mostly conservative team owners, and the new policy attempts to resolve a distraction for them, said Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing expert at Baker Street Advertising.
"For advertisers, football's still a great buy ... Ratings have dipped a little bit ... (but it is) still one of the strongest live events you can buy in television," Dorfman said.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started the protests in 2016, and when he was shunned by all 32 teams in the league, going unsigned for the entire 2017 season, players and commentators questioned whether he was being blackballed by the owners.
He has filed a grievance against the league, saying the owners colluded to keep him from being signed.
The anthem protests started to fizzle late in the recent season when the NFL said it would donate $89 million over seven years to social justice causes.
The NFL last year rejected Trump's calls to punish players who protest, but said the league's players should stand.
Goodell, in Wednesday's statement, defended the patriotism of NFL players, as did the NFLPA.
The new policy says players must "show respect" as they stand, but not does not silence them completely.
"There are still plenty of ways to use our voice and platform," 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman told USA Today, questioning whether they might be allowed to raise a fist.
