Attorney Thomas Lenz Quoted in "The Undefeated" regarding NFL's New Anthem Policy

05.25.2018

On Thursday, May 24, attorney Thomas Lenz gave his insights in The Undefeated, an online sports publication, regarding the NFL's new policy on the national anthem, dictating that all players must stand for the song if they are on the field. Mr. Lenz had been quoted previously for the publication for related topics. As Chair of the Labor and Employment Section for the California Lawyers Association (formerly State Bar of California) and a Lecturer in Law at the USC Gould School of Law, Lenz frequently lends his expertise to both state and national publications on labor-related matters. The article is excerpted as follows. Click here to read more.

"The timing of the league’s move [to require players to stand if they are on the field during the performance of the anthem]  is curious, said labor law expert Thomas A. Lenz, a lecturer at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. “At a time when you have grievance processes underway … the timing of implementation of a new policy is actually an issue.

“It can also be troublesome when it’s on the heels of protected activity or a dispute about protected activity,” he said. “And although the players are allowed a choice of whether to participate in the anthem or not, they have to conceal anything but their actual expression for support for the anthem.”