Vikings players react to the NFL’s new national anthem policy

Minnesota Vikings players Brian Robison and Stefon Diggs were asked about the NFL’s new national anthem policy on Wednesday.

Wednesday was not just another normal day of OTAs for the Minnesota Vikings and most of the other teams around the NFL. This was mainly due to the league announcing a new national anthem policy at the owner’s meetings in Atlanta.

Under the new guidelines, a player can be fined if he is on the field and does not stand during the playing of the national anthem. Players also have the choice to remain in the locker room during the anthem if they would not like to stand or, “show respect for the flag,” as the new policy states.

After the Vikings’ second OTA on Wednesday, Minnesota defensive lineman Brian Robison was asked what he thought about the new league policy and if it will cause him to do anything differently during the playing of the anthem in 2018.

"“I’m a guy that loves this country that I’ve grown up in, that I’m a part of. I think we have the greatest country in the world. For me, I’m going to go out there, I’m going to stand up for that flag. But at the same time, our military has fought for those freedoms to allow those guys to have that decision. Whether we agree or disagree with what their decision is, it doesn’t matter. That’s not part of it. That’s their freedom to do what they want to do. Me personally, I’m going to go out, I’m always going to stand for the flag and I’m always going to pay a respect to it.”"

Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs was also asked about the NFL’s new anthem policy on Wednesday.

Minnesota Vikings

"“For me personally, I don’t bring how I feel about things onto a team. I’m part of an organization and part of a team. I always keep that first in (my) mind as far as being a collective unit. I like to keep things that way. I try not to do anything that’s going to bring any attention to myself at all. I try to fly under the radar. I belong to an organization, so I try to follow that.”"

Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer also said during his press conference on Wednesday that he believes, “it’s important that (the Vikings) stand for the anthem.”

It sounds like Minnesota has pretty much all of their players and coaches on the same track with this topic.

No members of the Vikings kneeled or protested during the playing of the national anthem last season, so this will likely remain the same in 2018 based on the comments from Diggs, Robison, and Zimmer on Wednesday.

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Everyone may not agree with Minnesota’s decisions regarding the national anthem. But at the end of the day, the Vikings’ players and coaches are always going to do what they feel works best for their team as a whole.