The Navy has been in talks with the NFL and the NFL Players Association about whether or not to meet over the NFL’s protests on the playing of the National Anthem, according to people familiar with the matter.
The talks are the latest development in a growing controversy over the use of the anthem by NFL players in protest of racial injustice and racial inequality.
The discussions have been going on for weeks, people familiar, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.
The NFLPA’s president, DeMaurice Smith, has said the league has the right to protest in any way it wants during the playing and celebration of the national anthem, which is the national flag in the United States.
But the league and NFL Players Alliance, the union representing players, have been divided on whether or when to do so.
The union wants to hold its first national meeting on Dec. 15, but the NFLPA has said it’s not holding that meeting.
The Navy’s chief of naval operations has met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league’s senior vice president for social responsibility, Michael Signora, about the matter, Navy officials told Business Insider.
The Navy, a service member and the nation’s largest defense contractor, has about 4,600 active duty personnel and 4,200 Navy Reserve members.