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U.S. soccer rescinds policy that requires players to stand for national anthems

Posted at 7:42 AM, Jun 11, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-11 08:42:23-04

U.S. Soccer’s board of directors has voted to repeal a 2017 policy that required national team players to stand during the national anthem, a rule adopted after U.S. Women's National Team star Megan Rapinoe kneeled in support of NFL player Colin Kaepernick.

The board made the decision during a conference call on Wednesday. The decision comes after USWNT released a statement calling on the federation to rescind the policy.

Rapinoe took a knee during the national anthem at a pair of national team matches in 2016.

She said she wanted to express solidarity with Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who silently took a knee during the national anthem before NFL games to raise awareness of police brutality and racial injustice.

After a season of kneeling during the anthem, Kaepernick entered free agency was not signed by an NFL team. He remains a free agent.