Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin and linebacker K.J. Wright both took to the airways on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the NFL’s new policy regarding standing for the national anthem.
Under the new policy, all league and team personnel electing not to stand for the national anthem must wait in the locker room until the after the song has been performed.
“Honestly, I’m not surprised. I’m disappointed, I will say that,” Baldwin said during an interview with 710 ESPN Seattle. “Because the conversations that I’ve had with Roger [Goodell], that I’ve had with Troy Vincent, these guys … you really put your heart out there and say, ‘Look, we’re trying to do something good for the communities that we represent, that represent us.’ And it just felt like, again, there was a lack of understanding.
“And to me, this just further punctuates the tone-deafness or the disconnect between the NFL and its players.”
Wright echoed similar thoughts during his interview with Sports Radio 950 KJR.
“It’s crazy. I believe that to keep everything nice and easy, players should just stay in the locker room,” Wright said. “If they want to make such a big deal out of it, maybe guys as a team should just stay in the locker room. Do it how they did, I believe like 10 years ago, 15 years ago, players didn’t even come out for the anthem.
“I believe that the union is going to go back and forth with them and we should just all stay in the locker room.”
“I think we gotta get this issue resolved before the season so that everyone is on the same page,” Wright continued. “We gotta figure out our game-plan before the season even starts and we’re going to go forward as a team so it doesn’t become an issue. And guys are going to respect each other’s decisions and we’re all going to be on one accord.”
The NFLPA, who was not consulted on the changes, plans to challenge any aspect of the new policy inconsistent with the collective bargaining agreement.
