New York Giants: Ownership must stand by any anthem protesters

Owners of the New York Giants must keep their word and not punish any players who choose to silently protest during renditions of the national anthem.

Somewhat out of nowhere, New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch spoke with the Hollywood Reporter earlier this week about the NFL’s national anthem policy and about President Donald Trump commenting on the subject.

“They are not going to be punished,” Tisch said about any players who decide to kneel during The Star-Spangled Banner. “There is not going to be any punitive action taking place against them.”

This wasn’t the first time a Giants owner publicly talked about the situation that continues to generate headlines. In May, fellow co-owner John Mara told SiriusXM NFL Radio Alex Marvez

"“I think certainly we all hope that our players stand for the anthem this year,” per Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com.” I think it’s the right thing to do.” Mara also said “you have to take the players’ feelings and views into account.”"

On the surface, it seems the two faces of club ownership are not a unified front. That’s concerning, as multiple players dropped to a single knee while wearing New York Big Blue during the 2017 campaign. Most notably, Olivier Vernon made no apologies about his actions. “If they don’t like it, don’t come to the game,” Vernon said about his critics, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.

The Miami Dolphins may or may not suspend players for anthem protests — we’re still really not sure, as Adam H. Beasley and Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald  wrote — and the NFL and NFLPA released a joint statement on Thursday that clarified literally nothing has changed from last season. That statement, coincidentally, hit Twitter and email inboxes roughly five hours after the story about the Dolphins potentially punishing protesting players caused expected reactions on social media and various other platforms.

What you think, feel and believe about anthem protests is what you think, feel and believe. There’s a better chance the person typing this sentence will hit the lottery than change your opinion about this polarizing matter. One thing everybody who supports the Giants can agree on is that the team needs zero off-the-field distractions or controversies heading into training camp sessions, exhibition games and the start of the regular season.

Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning is probably beginning his final campaign with the franchise that drafted him in 2004. Superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is on the last year of his rookie contract. New York’s defense is hopefully improved from where it was in November when playing for a coach players (allegedly) disliked. A new head coach and new front office is leading the charge.

Maybe Giants players kneeled because of issues pertaining to social injustice. Perhaps they did so to show solidarity with others around the league. A combination of the two could have led to them making the call on any given Sunday. What’s significant is that the protests were important to those individuals. That, above anything else, is why Giants ownership must stand with those who take a knee. Everybody underneath the club’s umbrella needs to be on the same page moving forward.

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Fans can, and will, react however they wish. Neither Tisch nor Mara should be concerned about a small minority choosing to skip games, avoid MetLife Stadium and ditch merchandise. The Giants will be worth well over $3 billion come July 2019. Despite what some want the masses to believe, recent television deals show that the NFL is, financially speaking, doing just fine right now.

Punishing anthem protesters will inevitably get a team, particularly one attempting to go from the basement of the NFC standings to the Super Bowl, nowhere. Tisch said the right things. As in every case, though, actions will speak louder than words.