Super Bowl 2018: If Players Kneel In Protest, It Will Be On TV

MINNEAPOLIS, MIN — If you’re hedging bets on the 2018 Super Bowl, here’s one you may not have thought of: Will players from the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles kneel when Pink performs the National Anthem before Sunday's game begins?

If they do, NBC plans to broadcast the protest, which has continued throughout the 2017-2018 season. Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling last season to bring attention to the treatment of black Americans, particularly by police.

The Super Bowl, which will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, begins at 5:30 p.m. Central Time.

The protest, which has been mischaracterized as a National Anthem protest, has touched a nerve across the country, with everyone from the president down to everyday fans taking a stand. At least one NFL player has taken a knee each week since Kaepernick started the protests, according to Bleacher Report.

President Trump has repeatedly criticized the protest as disrespectful to the U.S. flag and the military — which was never Kaepernick’s intent. In September, Trump called on the NFL to fire players who kneel. Many more players, including some Patriots players, took a knee after the president’s remarks, but Patriots players haven’t kneeled since.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Sporting News that everyone at the game — players, coaches and fans — will be encouraged to stand during the National Anthem via the public address system, which is standard procedure during NFL games.

“Nothing different will be asked of our fans or players than during any other game,” he said. “We are approaching this like we have our other games."

Players will be on the field for the National Anthem, and there’s nothing to stop them from kneeling, the NFL told CNNMoney. Commissioner Roger Goodell said he thinks they should stand, but has previously said the protests aren’t intended to be "disrespectful to the flag."

Several Eagles have raised their fists during the National Anthem in 2016 and beyond, but stopped doing so by the time the team made it to the playoffs. Cornerback Ron Brooks, who was released by the Eagles in August, took a knee during preseason games.

No players took a knee in the 2017 Super Bowl in Houston.

In a media call, NBC Executive Producer Fred Gaudelli said he doesn’t expect players to kneel, but if they do, the network will broadcast it.

"When you're doing a live event, you just cover what's happening," Gaudelli said. "We're obviously here to cover a football game, not a politicized event."

Cris Collinsworth, part of NBC’s Super Bowl on-air team, said during the call that whatever happens will be broadcast.

"In a situation like that, people are seeing it. We can report it. But what people don't want you to do at that point is editorialize," he said during the media call.

The NFL has been working with team owners to resolve conflict surrounding the player protests.

"There's been a bit of a partnership formed, and they're going to try and get money to some of these community causes," Collinsworth said. "So my hope is that it ends up being a better situation for, not just the players and owners and whatever in the National Football League, but for some very deserving communities, and I think to some extent that should be celebrated too."

Photo: Several New England Patriots players kneel during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass. Photo by Michael Dwyer/Associated Press