Fact check: NFL has no plan to fly Black Lives Matter flag at this season's games

The claim: Meme alleges NFL will fly Black Lives Matter flag under American flag during games.

The meme depicted a hooded skeleton with tattooed fingers reading “GAME OVER. It then claimed: “The NFL announced it will fly the BLM flag under American flag at all game (sic).”

The NFL has been the focal point of social justice and police reform debate in recent years. The spark came during the 2016 season, with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernik. A star for six seasons, he protested the treatment of Black people by police agencies by, at first, remaining seated on the bench during the playing of the national anthem. Subsequently, the form of protest morphed into kneeling along the sidelines during the "Star Spangled Banner," and other players joined in.

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President Donald Trump, as a 2016 candidate for president, said of Kaepernick: “Maybe he should find a country that works better for him.” Kaepernick has gone unsigned since becoming a free agent after the 2016 season.

The following season, Trump weighed into the controversy again by sharply criticizing the NFL for allowing what he said was disrespect toward the U.S. flag. He demanded in a tweet that the NFL ban players who knelt during the anthem. NFL owners then told the protesting players that they could remain in the locker room during the anthem.

In the wake of the nationwide protests over the killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd by that city’s police, the NFL has backtracked by embracing the BLM movement.

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BLM and the NFL

The raising of a Black Lives Matter flag by the San Francisco 49ers over Levi’s Stadium in June was among several ways the National Football League and its franchises have responded to social justice and equality protests following Floyd’s death on May 25.

The NFL, 70% of whose players were Black in 2019, according to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, has struggled to respond to some players’ activism in calling for social justice and equality. The league has faced allegations of blackballing Kaepernick.

In a video posted to the NFL’s Twitter account on June 5, Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and acknowledged mistakes.

“We at the National Football League condemn racism and the systematic oppression of black people. We, the National Football League, admit we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier and encourage all to speak out and encourage peaceful protest. We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter. I personally protest with you and want to be part of a much-needed change in this country. Without black players, there would be no National Football League,” he said.

A Black Lives Matter flag is flown in front of the Knoxville Police Department headquarters May 29 in Tennessee as people gather for a rally in solidarity with Minneapolis to speak out against police brutality.
A Black Lives Matter flag is flown in front of the Knoxville Police Department headquarters May 29 in Tennessee as people gather for a rally in solidarity with Minneapolis to speak out against police brutality.

About a week later, the NFL announced a 10-year, $250 million commitment to building a fund to “combat systematic racism and support the battle against ongoing and historic injustices faced by African-Americans.” The league also committed to a greater emphasis on social justice issues on the NFL Network and other league-owned media properties.

Neither the NFL nor Goodell had addressed the BLM flag question when the meme that makes the assertion became viral.

However, on June 22, the San Francisco 49ers flew a Black Lives Matter flag at Levi’s Stadium. The flag has been placed next to the American flag and the California flag, according to the 49ers Instagram page. The 49ers media relations office issued a statement saying the team has not set timetable for how long the flag will fly at the stadium.

As for the NFL, Brian McCarthy, the league's vice president for communications, a league spokesman said the meme is not correct; the league has not issued a policy on the BLM flag.

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Our ruling: False

We rate the claim that the NFL will fly the BLM flag under American flag at all games as FALSE because it was not supported by our research. One team of 32 has flown the Black Lives Matter flag. The NFL has not announced a blanket policy for all franchises.

Our fact-check sources:

Mark Harper is a political editor and reporter for The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Reach him at mark.harper@news-jrnl.com or via Twitter at @MarkHarper36.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Black Lives Matter flag will not fly at NFL games