Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Gerald McCoy said on a podcast Wednesday there may “be an uproar” if the NFL forces all its players to stand for the national anthem.
McCoy said he planned to continue standing during the anthem, but that he supports teammates’ right to kneel if they want to.
“I don’t think guys are gonna like it,” McCoy said on Adam Schefter’s “Know Them From Adam” podcast on ESPN. “I think it’s gonna be an uproar if that is to happen because you’re basically taking away a constitutional right to freedom of speech.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter to all 32 NFL teams Tuesday that said he wants players to stand during the anthem. He did not say how he would enforce his wishes but mentioned a plan to allow players another in-season platform to talk about the issues behind the protests, which include police shootings of unarmed black men and other examples of oppression against people of color.
The issue is on the agenda for the NFL’s fall meeting in New York next week, ESPN said.
After President Donald Trump tweeted it was “about time” Goodell demanded players stand for the anthem, the NFL clarified Goodell’s earlier remarks.
“Commentary this morning about the Commissioner’s position on the Anthem is not accurate,” the statement said, ESPN reported. “The NFL is doing the hard work of trying to move from protest to progress, working to bring people together.”
The NFL players union has not yet responded to Goodell’s or the NFL’s statement.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.