Legally, the Cowboys probably couldn't cut a player who refuses to stand for the national anthem. But they sure as hell can bench the jerk right there on the spot, and then keep him on the roster but deactivate him for every game over the rest of the season. As long as they pay the player under the terms of his contract, the union has no grounds to file a grievance.
Back then I remember Abdul Rauf (sp), formerly Chris Jackson, who played for LSU in college, refused to stand for the anthem as a pro. It was a firestorm then, as many Americans hadn’t yet been brainwashed by the left.
Someone ended up burning his house down. Sigh. Those were the days.
I agree: My gut feeling is that this is a work rule that must be negotiated, unless there is some provision in the existing CBA that prohibits conduct that is detrimental to the team or the NFL. If there is such a provision, then there will be with near certainty a grievance and arbitration to determine whether the conduct is detrimental.
Yep, lots of ways to fix their wagons. And do serious damage to their careers that the union probably couldn't do anything about
Teams can cut a player for any reason good, bad or indifferent. They have to honor their contracts but they do not have to keep them on the team.