The Miami Dolphins have submitted their annual disciplinary plan to the NFL, and it includes a section entitled “Proper Anthem Conduct” that could lead to a four-game suspension, according to a report from the Associated Press. This document, which teams submit every year, defines what a team may do to players if discipline is required. According to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington on SportsCenter, the Dolphins have no intention of actually suspending players for anthem protests, but wrote into the document the highest level of punishment they could in order to codify the league’s own anthem policy.
The Dolphins have had players kneel during the anthem the last two years, including wide receiver Kenny Stills, safety Michael Thomas, and tight end Julius Thomas last year.