The NFL's new anthem policy was not as unanimous as the league wants people to believe
- When the NFL unveiled its controversial new anthem policy, commissioner Roger Goodell claimed that it had received unanimous support from owners.
- But a few owners have now spoken out and claimed they did not vote on the policy, casting doubt on whether the policy's support was indeed unanimous.
When the NFL first announced its controversial new anthem policy, commissioner Roger Goodell claimed in a press conference that it was "unanimously adopted" by the NFL team owners.
However, ESPN reported that the league never took a formal vote on the new policy, and that, "Not taking an official tally is atypical for a major resolution."
The NFL confirmed to ESPN that there was no formal vote and that they simply had a "show of hands" to gauge support and there were "zero nays."
"That was considered a vote," NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said.
But now, statements from a few team owners show that that not everybody supported the new policy.
That same ESPN report claims that Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis abstained from the vote, and San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York also revealed to ESPN earlier that he abstained from the vote.
York did tell ESPN, regarding the vote, "Teams that voted on it voted affirmatively."
New York Jets chairman Chris Johnson, meanwhile, went so far as to say that he would pay the fines imposed upon his players under the anthem policy.
It's also worth noting, per the Charlotte Observer, that incoming Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper was not allowed to vote on the policy until the sale officially closes in July.
The NFL's new anthem policy has already come under fire just for its merits. Now it has the appearance that the league was trying to mislead people about how it was made in the first place.