Amendment I. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Congress has made no law abridging their freedom of speech, therefore that argument is null and void and I'm sick of hearing it. It's Constitution 101. It does not apply in this case. No one's First Amendment rights are violated when an employer makes rules contingent upon being hired that dictate what things are and are not acceptable before employment will commence. Things such as dress code, behavior, proselytizing on the job, vulgar or offensive language, how long your hair can be, how many tattoos you may have, what emblems, decals or "flare" you may add to your uniform, and in certain cases (such as the NFL code of conduct), your behavior when off the job. You read the contract and either sign on the line, or walk away, before you even become an employee. And if you fail to abide by the said code of conduct while an employee, you are fined, suspended, or fired as the employer sees fit.
Everything about these "protests" is in violation of rules that the NFL had long ago established, and which every football player agreed to before signing on the dotted line. Not only that, but it crosses every boundary regarding offending, belittling and pissing off the customer, as well as embarrassing and disparaging the employer.
I used to be a flight attendant and we were employed under a contract that was negotiated by a union, same as NFL players are. Our contract covered minutiae such as skirt length, heel height, hairstyle, and even weight (at one point), etc. in addition to work hour and scheduling rules, behavior while on flights as well as in the terminal, speech and behavior when representing as an employee even out of uniform...it went on and on. And all of it legal under the Constitution. If you don't agree to the terms, you are free to find another employer. Simple really. Do you think for one minute that before I started the safety video on a flight and I decided to use the opportunity I had while all eyes were on me to do a BLM black power salute and make some protest speech that I would not have been fired before the plane even pushed back from the gate? And would I have been able to excuse it all as my "right to peacefully protest?" Think again.
Jump up and down all you want....their employers are NOT stopping them, so your point is mute! That does not change fact that Cowboys did NOT ‘taketheknee’ during Anthem. that was fake news!