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>Several fans said they didn’t even think to scan the sidelines to see if any players knelt in protest of police brutality and racial inequality. For those who looked: All players from both teams were on the field. Malcolm Jenkins, a safety who has sometimes raised a fist in protest, stood quietly alongside his teammates. A defensive end who is new to the team wandered around during most of the song and sat on the bench toward its end.<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<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.