A decision made on Saturday put an end to the United States Soccer Federation’s rule against players taking a knee in protest during the national anthem.
The contested rule, Policy 604-1, required all players representing the US national team to “stand respectfully” while the Star-Spangled Banner played. In a vote among the governing body’s members, 70% were in favor of repealing the policy, while 30% opposed it.
After the decision was announced, US Soccer released a statement on Twitter condemning the “offensive comments” made by one of the 30% who voted to uphold Policy 604-1. Seth Jahn, a former US Paralympian and current member of the US Soccer Athlete Council, criticized the proposed change during the meeting. He argued that the media exaggerates incidents of police brutality as a “statistical anomaly” and claimed that the “politicization of sport” is contributing to a decline in viewership.
The US Soccer statement said: “The offensive remarks made by a delegate during today’s annual general meeting do not reflect the views of US Soccer. As we look back on a successful AGM, we want to emphasize the importance of US Soccer’s commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion efforts within the Federation and throughout our membership.
“An important step in this direction was the repeal of Policy 604-1 during today’s national council meeting. As US Soccer Federation President Cindy Parlow Cone stated after the AGM, there is no room for racist comments of any kind.”
