NEW YORK — In the face of fan unrest and accusations from the president about the league’s being unpatriotic, the NFL is not changing its national anthem policy to require players to stand.

Commissioner Roger Goodell and several owners said Wednesday at the league’s fall meetings that altering the policy language from “should stand” to “must stand” was not discussed.

New York Giants owner John Mara noted that the Cowboys’ Jerry Jones “spoke at length” to the other owners about the anthem issue. Jones has said any Dallas player who doesn’t stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner” would not be playing.

Goodell reiterated that the league and its 32 clubs “believe everyone should stand for the national anthem. It’s an important part of our policy and the game. It’s important to honor our flag and our country and I think our fans expect that.”

Asked about any owners who threatened discipline for players who didn’t stand, Goodell said the owners didn’t discuss it.

“It wasn’t necessary,” he said. “We had a real focus on making sure all of our teams understood the kind of dialogue that took place and the kind of things that they were interested in getting support.

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“And they were seeking support for the NFL, each club supporting its players and continuing the dialogue that they have had at the club level. I would tell you this, it’s unprecedented conversations and dialogue going on between our players and our owners, between our club officials and between our league, and that is a really positive change for us.”

COLTS: Quarterback Andrew Luck will not practice this week after developing soreness in his throwing shoulder.

Luck had been throwing every other day the past two weeks. But general manager Chris Ballard told reporters Wednesday that trainers and doctors shut down Luck after he received a cortisone shot.

BROWNS: After a week watching, rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer is starting again.

The second-round pick from Notre Dame, who threw a league-high nine interceptions in his first five games, will start Sunday against Tennessee.

The Browns (0-6) demoted an ineffective Kizer last week in favor of Kevin Hogan, who had provided a spark in relief appearances but threw three picks in a loss to the Texans.

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WASHINGTON: The team put kicker Dustin Hopkins on injured reserve with a strained hip muscle and signed free agent Nick Rose to replace him.

DRAFT: The 2018 draft will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

It’s the first time the draft will happen in an NFL stadium.

After decades in New York, the draft was moved to Chicago in 2015 and was held there again in 2016. It drew huge crowds, whetting the NFL’s appetite for taking bids to host it.

This year, the draft was in Philadelphia at the iconic Art Museum steps. It drew 250,000 fans.


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