Remove the athletes during the anthem

Regarding NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s request to encourage a resolution of the national anthem controversy. Here’s the solution. Keep all athletes at all sporting events in their locker rooms until the anthem is concluded. Using the national anthem as a platform for one’s personal gripes is getting out of hand and only causing more controversies. Even if an athlete wants to come out of the locker room and and stand for the anthem, the policy should be “No.”

As as veteran, I take great pride in standing for the national anthem but then, I also understand how others may feel. It just shouldn’t be a part of the game experience.

Perhaps the national anthem should no longer be played at the beginning of sporting events. Why not instead play a rousing rock and roll number followed by a recording of Michael Buffer shouting “Let’s Get Ready To Rumble.”

Unfortunately, I fear there will still be athletes taking knees to protest a song like Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock.” This is because they will want to express their displeasure over America’s poor prison conditions.

This story was originally published October 25, 2017 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Remove the athletes during the anthem."