Report: NFL expected to play Black national anthem before Week 1 games

The NFL is planning multiple measures to honor victims of police brutality and systemic racism this season, including the playing of what's traditionally known as the Black national anthem before the campaign's opening contests.

The song "Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing" is expected to be performed live or played prior to every Week 1 game in 2020, a source told Jason Reid of The Undefeated. It's expected to be performed before "The Star-Spangled Banner," Reid adds.

Originally written as a poem in 1900, "Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing" was dubbed the Black national anthem in 1919 by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People as a powerful call for the liberation and affirmation for Black people.

Other proposals by the NFL and the National Football League Players Association reportedly include featuring the names of victims on helmet decals or jersey patches, as well as educational programs about victims of police brutality.

Multiple NFL players have expressed their intentions to protest during the U.S. national anthem this season amid worldwide protests against racial injustice following the death of George Floyd in police custody. Those players include Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, and Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson, among others.

Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien has said he plans to join his players in pregame demonstrations.

Commissioner Roger Goodell admitted in June that the NFL was "wrong for not listening" to players such as Colin Kaepernick when they first began protesting in 2016.

The Texans and Kansas City Chiefs are scheduled to face each other in the NFL's regular-season opener on Sept. 10.

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