“We Were Wrong”: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Once Conveyed His Reservations To Ex-President Donald Trump in Honest Admission

Roger Goodell is arguably a bold decision-maker in the league’s leadership history. The NFL community can find it in his recent diplomatic opinion on “tush-push” and his stance on the “hip-drop tackle” controversy. Interestingly, is an impressive throwback story to support the argument. Two years, six months ago, the NFL Commissioner not only unopinionated with former President Donald Trump but also did the unthinkable.

In June 2020, some of the NFL superstars, including Patrick Mahomes, Odell Beckham Jr., and Deshaun Watson, released a video challenging the league. In the video, they spoke about the widespread existence of “systemic racism against black Americans.” Addressing the ongoing tension between the league’s players and the owners, since Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 incident, they demanded the NFL to apologize and release a statement acknowledging “We, the NFL, believe Black Lives Matter.” Later, when Trump did not appreciate the video, Goodell had to take charge, which was indeed a bold move!

Roger Goodell found the right balance between the league and politics!

The NFL commissioner may have seen many NFL nightmares, but he certainly gained support for this one. After the players’ “Black Lives Matter” special 70-second video, Donald Trump, within less than 24 hours, singled out Drew Brees as his target, expressing disappointment despite being a fan of the quarterback. He criticized Brees for apologizing for ‘equating kneeling with disrespecting the military.’ In a series of X posts, Trump insisted that the athlete shouldn’t have changed his stance on honoring the “Great American Flag” and strongly wrote, “No KNEELING!!!”

He further emphasized the importance of respecting the national flag and discouraged kneeling during the National Anthem. This led to speculation about the NFL’s response, whether Commissioner Roger Goodell would stand with the players, distance himself from Trump, or remain silent.

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Surprisingly, Goodell quickly released a video where he admitted the NFL’s early mistake and expressed solidarity with the players’ protests. He said, backing his players, “We were wrong. I personally protest with you and want to be part of the much-needed change in this country.” The NFL community witnessed a man they had never seen before.

More than two years down the line, curious fans might ask again, What’s the NFL’s national anthem policy today, and did Roger Goodell’s statements impact the movement?

A transformation in the NFL landscape for the National Anthem!

Before the 2016 San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick’s incident, there were no such stringent rules for standing during the national anthem, but after repeated protests on the field for two years, the NFL changed its rules regarding the national anthem in 2018. They released a revised policy saying that the players and team personnel on the sidelines must “stand and show respect for the flag and the Anthem.” It further added that if a player doesn’t wish to stand, they can stay in the locker room. Not only this, the league asked the NFL teams to create its own policies, including possible fines for players who protest during the anthem.

They further clarified that the league could also fine the teams if their reps don’t stand or show respect during the anthem on the sidelines. However, after Roger Goodell’s 2020 statements of peacefully protesting with the NFL players on “Black Lives Matter,” the league’s commissioner revealed his new stance. In an interview in 2020 with Acho, Goodell confirmed that the NFL will keep allowing its players to protest during the National Anthem without facing any penalties.

He mentioned, “Players have (taken knees during the national anthem). Players still do today. And they did last season, and we’ve never disciplined any of them. I don’t think that’s the right thing to do.” The league indeed did the unthinkable in 2020 after years of a ‘spineless’ policy of appeasement.

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