Bears Or IL Lawmakers: Who Do You Side With On NFL Anthem Policy?

CHICAGO, IL — At the end of May, the NFL unveiled a new policy concerning conduct when the national anthem is played before games as a response to players kneeling while the song is played to protest police brutality and other social injustices. Officials for the Chicago Bears have supported the change, but some Illinois lawmakers have criticized the team and the league for backing a policy they say stifles the dialogue on important national issues.

Under the new guidelines that go into effect for the upcoming season, players, coaches and other team members on the field must stand for the anthem or face fines. Personnel, however, can elect to stay in the locker or somewhere out of view from the field during that time.

“We think players should stand. We encourage our players to stand," Bears chairman George McCaskey said in a statement late last week. "I told them that last September, and we feel the same way."

RELATED: Chicago Bears Players Talk About NFL's National Anthem Rule

But during the same Thursday press conference at Halas Hall in which he threw the organization's support behind the new policy, McCaskey praised NFL players who felt compelled to protest during the anthem. He added that there was "a false perception" that the actions of those players were "unpatriotic."

"The first players to take a knee during the national anthem did so to bring attention to two issues: police misconduct and social inequality," he said before his statement, according to Pro Football Weekly. "These are legitimate issues that deserve discussion and action. As a country, we can do better. … The players’ actions were characterized by some and perceived by some as disrespectful to the flag, our country and our military, and what should be a unifying moment for our communities and our country has become in some instances another source of divisiveness."

No Bears team personnel participated in kneel-down protests during the anthem last season. Soldier Field, though, was the site of a Week 3 protest by the Pittsburgh Steelers, which as a team — save for offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva, an Army veteran — stayed in the locker room during the anthem.

That demonstration was derided online by President Donald Trump, who has been a vocal critic of such protests. Following the game, McCaskey was publicly supportive of the Steelers' right to protest.

"What makes this the greatest country in the world are the liberties it was founded upon and the freedom to express oneself in a respectful and peaceful manner," he said in a statement at the time.

McCaskey's latest comments concerning anthem demonstrations came days after four U.S. representatives —Democrats Danny Davis, Robin Kelly, Bobby Rush and Jan Schakowsky — blasted the Bears and the NFL in a May 30 open letter to team ownership. Addressed to McCaskey and his mother, Bears owner Virginia McCaskey, the letter criticized team owners and league officials for silencing players who were "engaging in a constructive, respectful, representative discourse that helps communities heal by acknowledging injustices and listening to one another’s voice," the Chicago Tribune reports.

“You benefit from the support of so many fans of color who share player concerns on the issue of police brutality,” the representatives wrote. “One can argue that there is a time for protest, or that we should keep politics out of football, but did your ownership take into account the politics that inspired, and social impact that would result from this new anthem policy?”

Kelly told the Tribune that it was important for her and her Chicago-area colleagues to speak out against what they believe to be a wrong move by the NFL. She also echoed McCaskey's belief that patriotism — or the lack of it — had anything to do with last season's protests.

"These are really important issues of our times, and we need to be moving forward and not taking steps back," she told the Tribune.

McCaskey was asked about the letter during his press conference Thursday, June 7, but he said the team had yet to receive it.

"I’m happy to have a constructive conversation with our duly elected representatives," McCaskey said, according to Pro Football Weekly. "But to me, the fact that the letter was released to the media before we’ve even had a chance to see it suggests the motivation may be more making political points than having a constructive conversation."

YOUR TURN: Do you think Chicago Bears management is right to fully support the NFL's new policy concerning the national anthem? Or do you agree with the U.S. representatives who criticized the team and the league for the guidelines? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.

More via Pro Football Weekly and the Chicago Tribune

Image via the Chicago Bears