Doug Baldwin: One owner told players to stand during national anthem

Doug Baldwin says one NFL owner has ordered his players to stand during the national anthem.

Doug Baldwin says that one NFL owner has ordered his players to stand during the national anthem, he told Bill Simmons in an interview with HBO's Any Given Wednesday.

“[R]egarding the National Anthem and the protests, the one quote that I was informed of was, ‘You’re going to stand on the line with your hand on your heart and you’re going to sing the national anthem because this is my stage,’” Baldwin said.

The owner was not named.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has previously said that players like San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick are free to protest during the national anthem, even though he does not personally agree with their stance. 

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Kaepernick started his national anthem protest to raise awareness of racial injustice and police violence in America, sitting during the “Star Spangled Banner” in the preseason and later adjusting his protest to take a knee during the song.

Several players throughout the league have joined in Kaepernick's demonstration by taking a knee, locking arms or raising a fist during the national anthem.