San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York said Wednesday in response to the NFL national anthem protest decision that he will shut down concession stands during that time.
“I don’t think we should profit during the national anthem,” York explained, according to ABC 7 in San Francisco. “If we’re going to ask people to be respectful, I think that’s something we should do to be successful.”
Colin Kaepernick #7 and members of the San Francisco 49ers kneel during the national anthem prior to the game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on September 25, 2016 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
“We want to make sure we have an all-encompassing sort of solution to how we look at this and not point the finger at one group or another,” he added.
49ers owner @JedYork abstained from the anthem vote, thinks a deeper look is required, and says his team will not make concession sales during the anthem. “I don’t think we should be profiting if we’re going to put this type of attention and focus on the field and on the flag.”
— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) May 23, 2018
York also chose to abstain from the vote earlier in the day and explained to reporters that he wanted to “make sure we’re working with our players toward progress.” However, the 49ers CEO would not reveal if he was opposed to the decision or if any other club abstained from the vote that the NFL called “unanimous.”
“I think there are a lot of reasons, and I’m not going to get into all of them,” York answered when asked why he didn’t vote. “But I think the gist of it is really that we want to make sure that everything we’re doing is to promote progress. And I think we’ve done a good piece of that so far.”
According to the new policy, players can either chose to take the field and stand or stay in the locker room. Those who go out to the field and don’t stand during the playing of the “Star Spangled Banner” will incur a fine for their team.