NFLPA files grievance challenging league's new national anthem policy

The NFL Players Association announced Tuesday that it has filed a grievance against the league related to the revised national anthem policy that passed earlier this summer.

The union said in a statement that the new policy, which requires players to stand during the national anthem or remain in the locker room, violates the collective bargaining agreement and "infringes on player rights."

"In advance of our filing today, we proposed to the NFL to begin confidential discussions with the NFLPA Executive Committee to find a solution to this issue instead of immediately proceeding with litigation," the NFLPA said in the statement. "The NFL has agreed to proceed with those discussions and we look forward to starting them soon."

NFL owners adopted a new national-anthem policy in May, with commissioner Roger Goodell explaining in a statement that he hoped the policy change would help the league "keep our focus on the game." Dozens of NFL players took a knee during The Star-Spangled Banner last season as a means of protesting racial inequality and police brutality.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.