Tuesday in the Big Apple, was the start of the meetings between the NFL owners and the NFLPA.
Considering all of the controversy around the NFL players and the national anthem, one could jump to conclusions about the tension in the room.
However, we didn't have to jump to conclusions. Our own Darren Haynes was there to get a feel for the temperature between players and owners.
According to Haynes, the NFLPA made a huge step in the right direction Tuesday. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said himself, "the NFLPA and owners had open dialogue about how to promote social change."
Contrary to what President Trump asked of the NFL, one thing is important to note. Never once did owners talk about forcing players to stand during the national anthem.
NFL owners cleared the air by saying the NFL community respects our country, our flag, our military, and our national anthem.
But that didn't stop protesters that were present in New York from sharing their opinions with owners. One protester said to Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones, "Look at the videos of police officers getting away with murder. Why can't NFL players protest against that?"
The heat was undeniably on the NFL owners and they knew it.
Finding out that NFL owners are not forcing players to stand during the national anthem is a big win for the players and an even greater win for the First Amendment.
