That trade-off probably would serve as the basis for a compromise between the league and union if there is to be a deal struck in the coming days or weeks. It had been clear since last week that there almost certainly would not be a deal struck before the Eagles-Falcons game. That left owners and league officials curious to see what Jenkins and other players would do Thursday.<doc-sep>PHILADELPHIA — The NFL kicked off its 99th season on Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field without a major display of protests during the national anthem. Two Philadelphia Eagles players – defensive end Michael Bennett and Jay Ajayi – took seats on the bench near the end of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” but that was the extent of it. All of the Atlanta Falcons players stood at attention for the duration, as did the bulk of the Eagles, while the Philadelphia-bred R&B group Boyz II Men sang the anthem. Safety Malcolm Jenkins did not raise a fist during the protest as he did at times last season and in the preseason, but he wore a shirt that read "Ca$h bail = poverty trap" in pregame warmups. Jenkins is among the Eagles players who have met with state representatives to push for criminal justice reform. More:Boyz II Men sets Twitter on fire with 'sexy,' 'can't kneel' anthem More:NFL kneeling question helps determine Miss America prelim winner It’s unclear whether the lack of protest activity at the showcase opener will be an aberration or set a tone for how NFL players will handle the anthem this season, given controversy stemming from the league's planned attempt to institute a policy requiring that players on the field stand on the field or remain in the locker room. That policy, passed by team owners in May, has essentially been tabled with an agreement that there would be no player or team discipline related to anthem protests while league officials continue to engage in discussions. Follow Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.<doc-sep>A new NFL season is here, and that doesn’t just mean fun times with football like the NFL wants. It also means that the national movement started by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is center stage once again. In protesting social injustice and police brutality against people of color by peacefully kneeling during the playing of the national anthem, Kaepernick has sparked a large conversation — and debate. In the two years since, that has led to Kaepernick’s collusion lawsuit against the NFL and a new anthem policy from the league that was soon halted following backlash. There’s a lot to keep up with, and all of it is important to understand going into another season of play. Here is a look at how we got here, where things are now, and what to expect going forward. How the protests got started Kaepernick sat for two preseason games before anyone noticed. He was quick to elaborate on his decision to protest. “I’m going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed. To me, this is something that has to change. When there’s significant change and I feel that flag represents what it’s supposed to represent, and this country is representing people the way that it’s supposed to, I’ll stand.” Kaepernick eventually tweaked the protest after speaking with Nate Boyer, a former Green Beret and NFL long snapper. Boyer advised him that kneeling instead of sitting would be a good middle ground to try and get the narrative back on track, as critics said that sitting was disrespectful to the flag and the military, which wasn’t at all the case. His teammate at the time, safety Eric Reid, was the first to join Kaepernick in kneeling. Like Kaepernick, Reid is currently out of a job and embroiled in a legal battle with the league. How the movement grew On the same day that Kaepernick started kneeling, Sept. 1, Jeremy Lane of the Seattle Seahawks sat during the anthem, becoming the first non-teammate of Kaepernick’s to do so. Then players from other sports joined in, including Megan Rapinoe and all of Garfield High School’s football players. During the regular season opener, Brandon Marshall of the Denver Broncos took a knee. A few days later, players from the Seahawks, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots began to demonstrate during the playing of the anthem as well. For more, here’s a look at which athletes joined the movement in that first year. But lots of folks were mad, especially the president The backlash against the protests was widespread — and misguided. President Donald Trump got involved, consistently trying to muddy the waters and change the narrative by telling his supporters that players were “disrespecting the flag.” As SB Nation explained: The outrage continued — fed by the president’s appetite for cheap political gain by criticizing players — even after public dialog with players, veterans, and others showed it wasn’t about the anthem, the flag, or the military. It was about the suppression of black voices that attempted to shake the status quo. Trump went on to brag that his Twitter account is stopping NFL teams from signing Kaepernick. Related The truth behind why NFL players protest and how their message gets lost in the politics What’s the latest with Kaepernick? While Kaepernick has been active in the community — including completing his goal of donating $1 million to different charities — he’s remained in the news for other reasons, too. Kaepernick’s collusion case moves forward Kaepernick opted out of his contract with the 49ers, who were likely going to cut him anyway, in 2017. The talented quarterback became a free agent, and he still is today, despite proving he can still play. He believes he’s being blacklisted by the NFL and filed a grievance against NFL owners for collusion as a result. He was joined a year later by Reid, who also remains a free agent. The league requested the case be thrown out in summary judgment, but failed in its bid. Our own Tyler Tynes spoke with attorney Jaia Thomas about the decision and what it means going forward: Thomas: However this case turns out is going to set a precedent. Eric has the same attorney as Colin. Whatever Colin’s attorney was able to produce, there’s a pretty good chance he will be able to produce the same type of evidence on behalf of Eric. If Colin’s case completely moves forward and finds success, we can with certainty almost say the same will happen with Eric. That being said, I think the NFL will have to start re-examining and re-evaluating the ways in which they treat players and penalize them for using their free speech and right to speak up. Kaepernick becomes the face of Nike’s campaign Before the 2018 season started, it was announced that Kaepernick would be the face of Nike’s 30th anniversary for the “Just Do It” campaign. Here’s the first ad: Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/x5TnU7Z51i — Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 5, 2018 What’s happening with the NFL’s new anthem policy? This offseason, the NFL owners passed a new rule that they tried and failed to sell as a “compromise.” It gave players two choices: they could either stand for the anthem before the games, or they can stay in the locker room for the anthem. If players decide to break policy, their teams get fined and then the team can decide what punishment (or non-punishment) to dish out to those players. The NFL quickly suspended the new policy pending further discussions with the NFLPA in yet another damage control move. Here’s what that means for the players and the league. Heading into the 2018 season, the policy — and enforcement of any discipline — remains on hold as the NFL and the NFLPA hammer out details. A report from the Washington Post hours before the season opener, said that a group of owners was pushing for a compromise with the NFLPA where the union would endorse players standing for the anthem while teams waived discipline for players who protested. But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, any kind of agreement is unlikely. The new policy is going to be no policy — at least for this season, according to sources. Too many people have stances too strong to figure out a compromise, but an NFL official insisted Sunday morning that there is continuing dialogue on the topic as the league looks for ways to address social justice issues. Either way, the original message behind the protests, the one that the NFL, Donald Trump and countless others have tried to obscure with false equivalencies, is one that absolutely cannot be lost. Are NFL players still protesting? The 2018 preseason saw renewed protests in spite of the league’s attempts to quell activism. Eagles defensive backs Malcolm Jenkins and De’Vante Bausby raised their fists during the pregame anthem for their preseason opener against the Steelers; teammate Chris Long put his arm around Jenkins to unite two of the league’s loudest voices in the fight for equality. Several other players on the team wore T-shirts bringing attention to issues with both voter registration and incarceration rates. Before we enjoy this game lets take some time to ponder that more than 60% of the prison population are people of color. The NFL is made up of 70% African Americans. What you witness on the field does not represent the reality of everyday America. We are the anomalies... pic.twitter.com/gCeNKuTl1d — Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) August 9, 2018 Later in the preseason, Jenkins waited in the tunnel during the anthem. At the regular season opener, though, Jenkins and most of his Eagles teammates stood during the national anthem without demonstrating. The closest exception, according to MMQB’s Albert Breer, was defensive end Michael Bennett. Closest thing to any action on the anthem: Eagles DL Michael Bennett was walking around at the start of it, and sitting at the end of it. — Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) September 7, 2018 The defending champions weren’t the only ones to make a statement in preseason.<doc-sep>
Eagles DE Michael Bennett sat toward the end of the national anthem in the 2018 NFL season opener. (AP) The first national anthem of the NFL season didn’t have a widespread demonstration, although an NFL policy outlawing it has been tabled. The only thing close to a demonstration came from Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett. He was wandering around near the bench during the anthem, then took a seat right near the end of the song. Other Eagles who have demonstrated, most notably safety Malcolm Jenkins, stood for the anthem. Jenkins raised a fist during the anthem last season, but he did not Thursday. [Yahoo Fantasy Football leagues are open: Sign up now for free] NBC showed the anthem, which was performed by hometown group Boyz II Men. The network didn’t show Bennett. NFL’s failed policy on hold The anthem wouldn’t still be a story if it wasn’t for the NFL’s bumbling in the matter. Think about this: The NFL wanted the story to go away, somehow gave life to it with a policy absolutely nobody liked, and the policy isn’t even in effect. The NFL had to walk it back to have some discussions with the NFLPA, and the matter hasn’t been resolved despite some meetings last month. That’s how we got to Week 1 with the players able to demonstrate as they saw fit, just like last season, but with even more attention due to a policy that had to be shelved because it was poorly thought through. The NFL’s missteps on the anthem issue can never be understated. It’s amazing. But, the players have said all along that the story shouldn’t be who is kneeling or raising a fist, but what they’re doing in their communities. They have consistently tried to bring the attention back to their message. Perhaps that’s a reason almost everyone on both teams stood through the anthem. Players want focus on the issues Before the NFL season kicked off, the Players Coalition published a piece in the Players’ Tribune that outlined their efforts to help the problem of social injustice. They have done a tremendous amount in their communities to not just bring attention to the issues they have raised, but to bring about change. Story continues Because critics of the players have been aggressive in not listening to the message that led to the demonstrations, the players have to keep repeating themselves. They also feel the need to continue their demonstrations to continue to bring attention to the issues they are concerned about. Michael Bennett only player to not stand through anthem Bennett demonstrated during the anthem for much of last season, when he was with the Seattle Seahawks. Last year, Bennett said officers in Las Vegas singled him out for “being a black man in the wrong place at the wrong time” and used excessive force, after Bennett and others thought they heard gunshots in a casino. Bennett had knelt during the anthem but stood up last year before a game against the Arizona Cardinals when the NFL was honoring the military. “It was to signify that we are all with the military, and that we love them,” Bennett told the Tacoma News Tribune last year. “There’s been this narrative that we don’t care about the military. Today, we were honoring the military, so we wanted to be able to honor the military. “I know a lot of people did not expect us to stand. They have this narrative about us that is not true. I have a lot of family that were military. It’s never been about the military. If there is an opportunity to support them and be grateful for what they do, and the sacrifices, we want to be able to do that.” – – – – – – – Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Subscribe to The Yahoo Sports NFL Podcast Apple Podcasts• Stitcher • Google Podcasts More from Yahoo Sports: • Missouri college takes action over Kaepernick ad • Rockies slugger hits historic home run on big night • Jeff Passan: Why surgery may not be so devastating for Ohtani • Henry Bushnell: How winning the Super Bowl changed Philly