Has Pro Football Hall of Fame wide-receiver Randy Moss found a path out of the tricky situation the NFL finds itself in? The issue, of course, is the situation with the national anthem and Old Glory, the American flag. The NFL has waffled about what a player can, must or should do. Owners have also tried to have it both ways—letting players who don’t want to stand for the anthem and show respect hide out in a locker room--presumably so they won’t be visible on TV. The respective sides have created a win-lose situation, that is, for someone to win, one loses. Both sides are right—in their own minds—and so they cannot imagine giving in.
But Randy Moss may have found a way. At his induction ceremony, he wore a tie listing the names of African Americans who have lost their lives at the hands of law enforcement. The resulting pictures resulted in hundreds of infuriated “back the blue” individuals and numerous private messages of thanks and support from pro athletes. If the players are smart, they will jump on this opportunity – and the owners will back them up.
Moss has demonstrated that the players have a unique platform to promote their concerns—that is, an alternative platform off the field on game day. Players should rally around some slogan about how a tie can produce a win and then follow suit—or jacket, hat, shirt, watchband or sneakers.
If what the players want is attention to what they see as an injustice insufficiently discussed, Moss has proven that powerful, yet respectful symbols exist. A tie with the names of the deceased is much different than Colin Kaepernick’s socks with depictions of policemen as pigs. Moss’s gesture allows the players to keep their high-profile, public positions while also saving face and eliminating the head butting occurring off the field. This provides an indirect “win” for the owners – which is exactly what they should want. They should step back and respect the players “Phase II” protest and the result will be to mitigate the frustrations of millions of patriotic fans for whom the anthem and flag represent freedom. How ‘bout it guys? Can a tie produce a win?
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