Veteran's Day Boycotts: NFL Says 'No Change' In National Anthem Policy

Amid a nationwide conversation regarding player’s in-game protests during "The Star-Spangled Banner," and threats to boycott Sunday games in observance of Veteran’s Day, the NFL and the NFLPA announced Saturday that there had been "no change" to its national anthem policy.

In response to the player's protests, a social media campaign called "Boycott the NFL" with 227,000 Facebook followers asked fans to boycott Sunday’s football games "in solidarity with veterans around the country," according to the Washington Times.

Meanwhile, the league and the NFL Players Association issued a joint statement that said "there has been no change in the current policy regarding the anthem," which states that players "should" stand for the anthem. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the players union said they would address "important social issues" at a meeting next week.

"The agenda will be a continuation of how to make progress on the important social issues that players have vocalized," the statement reads. "Everyone who is part of our NFL community has a tremendous respect for our country, our flag, our anthem and our military, and we are coming together to deal with these issues in a civil and constructive way."

Conservative watchdog group called "2ndVote" also asked fans to boycott and "stiff-arm the NFL."

"We're sending the National Football League, its corporate sponsors, and the television networks a message this Veterans Day weekend!" the group told the Washington Times. "Americans are sick of the disrespectful national anthem protests that the NFL has not only allowed to continue, but has institutionalized in pregame ceremonies."

"Remember, several of the companies that do business with the NFL like DirecTV and Anheuser-Busch have signaled just how bad of a PR disaster the protests have been. Join us this weekend and we'll hit the NFL and all of its sponsors where it counts!," the group added.

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first took a knee at a 2016 preseason game during the national anthem in protest of racial injustice in America. The protests have since grown after President Donald Trump, at an Alabama rally in September, called for the firing of players who kneeled during the anthem.