By appearances anyway, the NFL was one big family two weeks ago. After President Donald Trump urged owners to fire players who did not stand for the national anthem, everyone from commissioner Roger Goodell to the 32 team owners to the players and coaches locked arms, in many cases literally, in defiance and unity.
That unanimity has all but vanished. As the president continues to harangue the league over the anthem, and a number of fans across the country express displeasure with the handful of players who continue to kneel during the anthem, a growing pool of owners are trying to defuse the politically charged issue, even if it means confronting the players they previously sympathized with.