NFL's national anthem guidelines unlikely to change, official says

NFL owners are not expected to require players to stand for the national anthem when they meet Tuesday and Wednesday in New York to discuss ways of resolving controversy surrounding players who protest during the anthem by taking a knee or raising a fist.

League spokesman Joe Lockhart, who last week hinted that the league might change its guidelines to make all players stand for the anthem, said Monday that no change in the league's current policy is expected. The league's guidelines say players must appear on the sidelines for the playing of the anthem and that they should stand for the song.

"I anticipate a very productive presentation of things we can do to work together," Lockhart said on a conference call when asked about whether the league would force players to stand for the anthem. "Beyond that, I don't anticipate anything."

Asked again whether that meant the league would not enact a rule to make players stand, Lockhart said, "I'm not anticipating anything."

Last week, Lockhart left open the possibility that the league would revisit its game operations manual regarding the anthem.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump again criticized players who protest during the anthem Monday, saying the NFL should suspend them for one game or more. "When you go down and take a knee — you're sitting essentially — for our national anthem, you're disrespecting our flag and you're disrespecting our country," he said during a news conference at the White House.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in a letter sent to all 32 teams last Tuesday, encouraged the owners and players to resolve the anthem issue at this week's meetings. The league will meet Tuesday with executives from the NFL Players Association, as well as current and former players.

Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, whose protests last season during the anthem to draw attention to racial injustice in America sparked a nationwide debate that continues today, will not be at the meetings, Lockhart said.

Kaepernick has filed a grievance against the NFL, alleging that league owners have colluded against him because no team has signed him. Lockhart said the collective bargaining agreement prohibits league or union officials from commenting on any legal proceedings involving the league. The NFLPA also has not commented on the grievance.

Attorneys for Dallas Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott are set for an emergency hearing in federal court in New York as they try again to stop the running back's six-game suspension over domestic violence allegations, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation.

Elliott's legal team filed a request for a temporary restraining order Monday and will get a hearing Tuesday in the Southern District of New York, the person told the Associated Press.

Last year's NFL rushing leader is suspended for Sunday's game at San Francisco after a federal appeals court overturned an injunction that had allowed him to play this season.

• Jameis Winston has a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder, an injury the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are hoping will not cost him any more playing time. The third-year quarterback was hurt during the first half of Sunday's 38-33 loss at Arizona. X-rays were negative, and coach Dirk Koetter said an MRI performed Monday revealed no structural damage.

• The Oakland Raiders agreed with linebacker NaVorro Bowman on a one-year, $3 million contract. A person familiar with the deal said Bowman agreed to it after visiting with the Raiders on Monday. Bowman was released on his request last Friday after seven-plus seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.