UPDATE: While there is no mention of conduct during the national anthem in the rulebook, there is in the league's game operations manual, according to Time.
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This past weekend's slate of NFL games was dominated by news coming from the sidelines as teams saw an uptick in players choosing to participate in national anthem protests.
The New England Patriots were one such team, with 17 players taking a knee before Sunday's game amid a sea of boos from their own fans at Gillette Stadium.
Following the weekend's protests, many fans have complained about the NFL's lack of enforcement on the rule requiring players to stand for the anthem, citing what appears to be an excerpt from the league's rulebook.
However, the NFL has no such rule.
The post claims that the rule can be found on page "A62-63 of the NFL rulebook." As our friends down at AL.com have noted, a look at the actual NFL rulebook reveals otherwise. First off, there is no "A62 or 63."
Page 62 pertains to the enforcement of 15 yard penalties, special exceptions for 15-yard penalties and ejections. Page 63 focuses on penalties for illegal kicks and batting the ball.
(A full version of the official NFL rulebook can be found here if you're curious.)
The post has come in the form of a copy-and-pasting block of text that has taken off on Facebook, even in our own comments section.
Here's the full text that has been making the rounds:
UPDATE: According to Time there is a passage that is similar to what is making the rounds, going off of this statement from an NFL spokesperson.
From Time:
While the NFL has no in-game rule on conduct for the anthem, they have commented on the matter. According to Pro Football Talk, the NFL released a statement saying that "players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the National Anthem."
The NFL's statement appears to be at odds with what is listed out in the game operations manual. Since the rise of protests this season, the league has not taken action on players or teams for kneeling, or opting to skip the anthem entirely.