NFL Commissioner: the National Anthem 'is special to me,' but... 'we have to understand the other side'

From the AP:

Asked about players who did not stand for the national anthem before preseason games, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday that while the playing of the anthem is a special moment to him, "we also have to understand the other side." Goodell made the comments at University of Phoenix Stadium during a 45-minute question-and-answer period with Arizona Cardinals club seat holders. One season ticket-holder, Bruce Olson, asked the commissioner whether players were going to continue to protest during the anthem and if anything could be done about it. "It's one of those things where I think we have to understand that there are people that have different viewpoints," Goodell said. "The national anthem is a special moment to me. It's a point of pride. But we also have to understand the other side, that people do have rights and we want to respect those."

...And that was about it. Goodell apparently indicated he believes there's a "time and a place" for protest - the implication being that it's not right before a game - but it all sounds painfully wishy-washy. Here's how Sports Illustrated responded (thanks to HotAir for spotting this clip.)

The problem with Goodell's non-condemnation is that it will embolden players who think it's a swell idea to protest at a sporting event, while simultaneously placing pressure on team owners. If the official league stance is "we have no real stance," individual teams will be forced to make a decision. They're going to be understandably jumpy about rabid leftists attacking them should they fine, or fire, players who opt to make such a stand - which means they'll probably do their best to look the other way. So, the NFL - which has already suffered thanks to a nasty habit of injecting politics into its product - will continue to damage itself, ratings will continue to slide, and people will get more and more fed up. Eventually the league will face some sort of harsh verbal showdown between players, or between coaches and players, and have no choice but to pick a side. If Goodell's statement is any indication, they'll pick whichever position is easier. That would likely mean the side of the protesters, since they won't want a mob of angry socialists tearing down their stadiums. I'd love to be wrong about this. I wish I could tell you that the NFL and its team owners are sick of this garbage, and anyone who chooses this path is going to wind up like Colin Kaepernick. ...But I can't. I suspect the league will roll over and suck it up. After all, if the last few days have shown us anything, it's that no one wants to (or is willing to) deal with a big Antifa headache.